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Mournwold

2026-08-13T14:02:40Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Mournwold Breadbasket */

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMournwold.png|caption=The wind blows mournfully through the trees and across the craggy hills.|title=Regions of Mournwold|align=left|width=500}}
==The Mourn==
This desolate land was known as ''the Mourn'' long before it fell to the barbarian [[Jotun]] in 349YE. The name originally referred to the sound of the wind in the trees and across the craggy hills. Now it seems an even more fitting name; the Mournwold has become synonymous with loss and sorrow for many Marchers.

Whereas [[Upwold]] and [[Mitwold]] in particular are known for their sprawling [[farm|farms]], the rugged Mournwold is better known for its [[mine|mines]]. The hills are riddled with rich veins of [[Materials#Green Iron|green iron]], and with mine workings dedicated to extracting that ore. Prior to the invasion of the [[Jotun]], there had been a growing tide of dissatisfaction among professional miners that all political power was vested in the hands of those who owned farms. There were regular complaints that mine owners, like farmers and [[steward|stewards]], owned and worked land - the only difference was that the crops they raised were ore and stone rather than fruit, grain or vegetables. Some of this dissatisfaction had its roots in the sharp business practices by some of the lowland stewards, especially those of the [[#Chalkdowns|Chalkdowns]], who set high prices for the food sold to the miners.

==Recent History==
Nearly forty years ago, the Mournwold fell to the Jotun [[orc|orcs]]. The barbarian forces that eventually defeated the Marchers amassed for months in [[Liathaven]]. Imperial forces fought long and hard, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. The Marcher generals of the time blamed [[The Throne]], [[Emperor Hugh]], for the loss, claiming that they had supported the Dawnish emperor specifically to prevent this kind of disastrous military defeat. When the Mourn fell, its last [[Senator]], Thomas Overton, entered the [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#The_wicker_man|wicker man]] in an attempt to heal the breach between Marches and Empire. Despite his sacrifice, the resentment of the Marchers simmered for much of the next three decades as the generals became more focused on the recovery of the Mourn. Thomas' sacrifice was later echoed by that of Nedry Galest, General of the Tusks, who chose to enter the wicker man after the disastrous events of Spring 381YE.

After the dust settled, only the [[#Greensward|Greensward]] remained in Imperial hands. A portion of the population of the Mournwold fled when the territory fell. Most took refuge in the north, but a number of miners and hill folk from the south found sanctuary in [[Tassato]] to the east, eventually being subsumed into [[the League]]. Those who remained were given the Jotun ''choice'' - take up arms and fight for the [[orc|orcs]] as Jotun, or lay down their weapons and become thralls. The majority of Marchers who refused to flee chose to become thralls, working their farms and providing food to their barbarian overlords. The situation changed little over the next thirty years; a few border skirmishes but no serious invasion attempt. Even [[Empress Britta]] made no immediate move to liberate the Mournwold; the first Imperial attempt to drive the Jotun out and reconquer the territory would not take place until after her death, and the [[Accept_Lasambrian_treaty|collapse]] of the temporary [[Accept_Jotun_ceasefire|Jotun ceasefire]] of 377YE - 379YE.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Shadow and Flame.jpg|caption=The Mournwold has been savaged by war.|align=right|width=300}}
The liberation began after the [[379YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Mourning_Wind|Autumn Equinox 379YE]]. The [[The_Marches_military_concerns#The_Tusks|Tusks]] and the [[The_Marches_military_concerns#The_Bounders|Bounders]] were joined by both [[Imperial Orcs|Imperial Orc]] armies and the [[Highguard|Highborn]] of the [[Highguard_military_concerns#The_Seventh_Wave|Seventh Wave]] at [[Mournwold#Overton|Overton]]. The initial attack saw the liberation of [[#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]], and parts of [[#Freemoor|Freemoor]], but also exposed the Empire for the first time to the knowledge that the Jotun had human soldiers fighting alongside them - mostly young folk who had grown up under the occupation.

The Imperial advance [[380YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#This_Far.2C_No_Further|quickly faltered]] in the face of the rage of the Jotun. Angered by the broken treaty between themselves and the Empire, the Jotun reinforced their positions in the Mournwold and brought the Empire's armies to a standstill. Three thousand Imperial soldiers died, and perhaps twice that many Jotun - a bloody cost that would set the stage for the bloodshed to follow. The [[380YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Heralds_of_Mourning|Jotun counterattack]] drove the Empire back out of Ore Hills and Freemoor - leaving the partially completed fortification there to be claimed by the orcs. The Tribute was quickly claimed by the Jotun, and became a key part of their defence of the territory in the coming months. Indeed, the force of the Jotun push was sufficient to drive the Imperial forces back to Overton, nearly costing them the Greensward. By the start of the Autumn Equinox 380YE, the Jotun had [[380YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_war#Loyalty_to_Great_Things|taken Overton]] as well, claiming complete uncontested control of the Mournwold for the first time. Their victory was short-lived - Imperial heroes managed to recapture Orchard's Watch and Overton during the Autumn Equinox, but at great cost.

After the Winter Solstice 380YE, the Greensward in southern Mourn was the site of [[381YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield_.28Mournwold.29|some of the most terrible battles]] in recent Imperial history, when the Imperial host laid a trap for the Jotun armies. With powerful magical support, an immense number of humans and orcs lost their lives and most of the structures in the Greensward were levelled including the town of [[#Overton|Overton]] and the castle of [[#Orchard's Watch|Orchard's Watch]]. At the same time, Spring plague and Winter magic accounted for perhaps a sixth of the remaining population, and half the people still living in the Greensward. The Jotun and the people of the Mourn alike were [[Watered with fears|unprepared for the ferocity]] of the Imperial assault.

The repercussions of these battles cannot be understated. The Jotun morale was broken, but so was that of the people of the Mourn. The Summer solstice saw the Empire [[381YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war#You_Can.27t_Go_Home_Again_.28Mournwold.29|make significant gains]] in the Mournwold, but for all that they were gaining territory, they had [[All_along_the_watchtower|lost the support]] of the people who lived there. The Jotun retreated west into Liathaven, leaving token forces to defend the Tribute and the castle at Hillstop. They evacuated as many thralls - humans as well as orcs - as they could, but they put up little opposition to the Imperial troops. Indeed during the Autumn Equinox 381YE, the Jotun destroyed Hillstop rather than allow it to fall into Imperial hands.

While the Mournwold was officially Imperial again by the start of the [[381YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_war#Times_Like_These_.28Mournwold.29|Autumn Equinox 381YE]], the people of the Mournwold - including for the time being a great many [[Mournwold thralls|orc thralls]] - were not shy about [[An_apple_that_falls|expressing their unhappiness]] to the rest of the Empire.

At the beginning of 386YE, the [[Standards|Jotun returned]]. Two armies, supported by the fyrd of Jarl Haakon the former ruler of the Mourn, attacked Southmoor. Imperial armies, especially the Tusks, were [[The_wild_wind_rises|quick to respond]]. They encountered a full half-dozen armies bolstered by the warbands of Jotun champions, and despite fierce fighting were ultimately unable to stem the flood of Jotun warriors into Mournwold - Jarl Haakon again claimed the territory in late Summer. Fighting continued [[Over_western_hills|through Autumn]]; a strategic attack on Southmoor left the Jotun forces with the choice to retreat in Liathaven or to risk being surrounded in the central Mourn. They wisely chose the former option. Fighting continued; Jarl Haakon himself was slain by Imperial heroes during the Winter Solstice, but [[If one be gone we carry on|sporadic fighting continued]] for the rest of 386YE and [[Shovels and spades|into 387YE]]. The last defenders - the warband of Jarl Haakon - were [[Because_they_must|finally defeated]] shortly before the Autumn Equinox 387YE. They undertook a last stand at [[#Farstrider's Watch|Farstrider's Watch]]; the fortification itself only survived the fighting thanks to [[Summer magic]] employed to [[Stalwart Stand on Solid Ground|enchant its walls]].

==Points of Interest==
===Sarcombe===
A [[market town]] in [[#Southmoor|Southmoor]], Sarcombe has been largely rebuilt since its recent near-destruction during the liberation of the Mourn. The sprawling Old Oak Inn is the oldest building in the town and has stood for two centuries, built up around the trunk of an actual oak tree. During the Jotun occupation, it was a centre of orc power and they ultimately constructed a [[fortification]] there - Hillstop - which obviously is no longer standing. After the Jotun were ejected, Empress Lisabetta [[United_in_law|declared that]] "''The town of Sarcombe in Southmoor has a long history as a centre of rich commerce''" and secured it a charter as a market town - the first in some time.

Although it was only recently [[Charter Sarcombe market town|granted their charter]] by the Empire, the market town is already booming, with individuals from all over the Mourn moving to the area looking to make a place for themselves. There is a shortage of houses, but no shortage of work to be done, with signs in many shop windows offering opportunities for those prepared to work hard. The Senate elected not to extend the Blood Red Roads to Sarcombe, but they did commission the construction of a large new [[Construct_Sarcombe_Metal_Market|metal market]] here, overseen by the Imperial title of [[Master of Sarcombe Metal Market]]. The [[Think_of_the_children#The_Sarcombe_Register|Sarcombe Register]], based out of the Jarl's Head tavern, provides a secure place to keep records of births and deaths throughout the [[territory]]. The [[Bailiff of the Downs|Bounders Hall]] serves as a location where groups of beaters can work with the Marcher orcs to keep farms free from thieves and outlaws. These commissions, and more, contribute to the sense that Sarcombe is a town with a future, a place where honest Marchers can prosper together, a settlement with unrealised potential.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Farstrider's Watch.jpg|caption=The fortification has become an unofficial place of pilgrimage for some Marcher yeofolk.|align=right|width=500}}</div>

===Farstrider's Watch===
Completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 382YE, Farstrider's Watch was funded by [[Empress Lisabetta|Imperatrix Lisabetta]]. It was one of the first [[fortification|fortifications]] completed with the [[Sing_your_name#Securing_the_borders|aid of the virtuous]], in the wake of the [[consecration]] of the [[Casinea#The_Silent_Sentinel|Silent Sentinel]] in [[Casinea]]. The castle was partially built in answer to [[An_apple_that_falls#Willing_To_Die_For_It|calls from the citizens of the Mournwold]] to ensure they were protected from [[Jotun]] retaliation.

Standing sentinel on the [[#Greensward|Greensward]], Farstrider's Watch was named for the beloved Marcher general Alusair Farstrider of [[The Marches groups#House_Balston|House Balston]], who fell in battle against the western orcs alongside many of her household. While she and her fellow soldiers were [[Upwold|Upwolders]], they are seen by many as having died fighting for the freedom of the people of the Mournwold. The castle has since become an unofficial place of pilgrimage for some Marchers, beginning with members of House Balston but spreading slowly to other parts of the Marches. General Farstrider and the "Badger's Boys" - the brave yeofolk of House Balston who fell alongside her - are seen in some places as inspirational figures whose loyalty, courage, and pride in their nation are inspirational. The Imperial Synod has not commented on this practice so far, although as neither the general nor any of her fellow yeofolk have been [[recognition|recognised]] as [[Paragons_and_exemplars|paragons or exemplars]], these pilgrims must be careful not to open themselves to accusations of [[Religious_crime#Blasphemy|blasphemy]]

===Landskeeper's Bulwark===
The [[fortification]] of Landskeeper's Bulwark in [[#Freemoor|Freemoor]] was built as a physical symbol of the Empire's dedication to the protection of the people of the Mournwold. It was [[Fortify Freemoor|commissioned]] by the [[Senate]] to address the [[An_apple_that_falls#Willing_To_Die_For_It|concerns of the people]] in the wake of the liberation of the Mourn. The small castle takes its name from the [[Landskeeper|Landskeepers]], those who help keep [[The Marches culture and customs|Marcher traditions]] alive; it is designed as a place of refuge with ample room set aside for the tending of the sick. The name is also a subtle nod to the desire to reincorporate the dispossessed of the Mourn back into Marcher culture. At the heart of the keep is a small orchard surrounded by a compact but well-crafted garden, which serves as both a place of contemplation and a memorial to those who died driving the Jotun out of the Mournwold.

=== The [[Singing Caves]]===

The Singing Caves are a Bourse resource located on the [[#Greensward|Greensward]] near [[#Overton|Overton]]. Custodianship of the Caves is an [[Imperial Title]] that brings with it a Seat on the [[Bourse]]. It produces 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

===Rebellion's Ridge===
Rebellion’s Ridge is found in Boon County, Ore Hills, on a sheer rockface bordering the Chalkdowns. Below this rockface stands a life-sized statue of a miner, with curly hair, blue metal for eyes, and the letters ‘MINE FREE’ across his knuckles. With pickaxe held aloft, amber glass is inlaid in veins throughout his body. His plinth reads: ‘REMEMBER’, beneath it; ‘Commissioned in Pride by Alfred Aewulfson-Boon, in memory of John Killinghall’.

When the sun rises over the ridge, this statue briefly casts a thin shadow across the Chalkdowns. As the sun sets, the rays reflect through the amber, illuminating the carving on the rockface behind; the towering figures of [[Known_exemplars#Leaders_of_the_Ore_Hills_Rebellion|Mary Digger, Esme Hooper, Ezekiel Boon, Henry Killinghall, Tom and Maggie John]]. Their heads held high, they appear to be storming towards their destination. Their names are inscribed beneath, and above them the words ‘PLAN’, ‘ARM’, ‘ENCHANT’, ‘RESIST’, ‘EXALT’. A church sits below, at the base of the hillside; a sanctuary of wood with stone foundation. It has six distinct entrances through which to enter, one for each exemplar, painted in their Household colours.

Congregation owners in the territory benefit from the visitors to Rebellion's Ridge, receiving an additional two doses of [[liao]] each season.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Orchard of the Watch.jpg|align=right|width=300}}

===Orchard of the Watch===
The Orchard of the Watch is a memorial constructed among the ruins of Overton. Built to bring peace to the restless spirits that haunt the land and those who survived its bloody liberation. It stands within the ruins and incorporates the Jotun burial mounds just north of them. These mounds bear both Jotun and Imperial dead and have been planted with apple trees. Many new trees have been planted, using the available space, and lacking typical row or grid order to avoid interfering with the remaining structures.

Myriad artists, artisans and labourers, [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_162|motivated]] by the call of '''Friar John of the Mourn''' and the Pride assembly, aided in the memorial's construction. The walls are covered with murals, engravings, and hangings depicting moments of heroic defence or scenes of peaceful life in old Overton. Remnant paths and masonry have been enriched with wildflowers and tasteful greenery.

The [[Friar of Honour's Rest]] supports those who tend to the orchard and the spirits who remain in the area.

Along a length of Orchard’s Watch’s enduring wall are engravings of the names of those believed to have died over the course of the liberation. Above all the names is a plaque with the words of '''Simon ''Chordwangler'' Willow''' who proposed the [[Construct Orchard of the Watch|motion]].
<quote by="Simon ''Chordwangler'' Willow, Senator for Mournwold">
''May this Orchard Keep and Watch<br>
''Over those we have lost,<br>
''Those that were taken from us <br>
''And those who remain''.
</quote>
===Mournwold Breadbasket===
As in the other Marcher territories, the Mournwold is now dotted with civil service-maintained granaries, grain silos, and so on. Most are of course situated in the Chalkdowns, where the majority of the Mourn's crops are farmed, and within easy distance of the Black Canal for shipping upriver to Sarcombe's markets. Almost all were placed in accordance with the advice of local [[landskeeper|landskeepers]], though whether that advice leant more towards inscrutable and esoteric magical knowledge, or simply that they knew which landowners would cause trouble if the civil service operated too close to "''their''" farms is unclear.

It was a point of Pride for commissioning senator '''Mel Bleak''' to ensure that at least two granaries were built within sight of [[#Rebellion's Ridge|Rebellion's Ridge]], either side of a pilgrim's path leading up to the monument.

All of these buildings have been planted with small gardens of [[Technology#Groveblossom and Changing Gender|groveblossom]], as per the wishes of Mel Bleak, and the granary built within the village of [[The Marches groups#House of Goatsbridge|Goatsbridge]] was also raised with a plaque reading "''Retaken, Rebuilt, Regrown''", each with a small tick.
{{anchor|Overton}}

===The ruins of Overton ===
Once a sheep-farming town and market set on a hill, Overton was ruined early on in the great Battle for the Greensward. The majority of the defenders were killed refusing to leave their posts. Pilgrims visit the ruins of Overton to lay tokens at the graves of the fallen. North of the ruins, the Jotun raised a massive grass-covered burial mound, beneath which lie both the bodies of countless Imperial soldiers and the Jotun who fell fighting them. Apple trees grow at the crest - it is not clear whether the orcs planted them in deference to Marcher burial customs, or whether they are the work of the surviving monks of Greensward Abbey. When the Empire liberated Greensward shortly before the Autumn Equinox 381YE there was some talk of disinterring the mound, but the Marcher soldiers were adamant they be left to rest undisturbed - the soil may have been soured, but it is still the soil they died fighting for, whether they were Marchers or not.

Not far from the ruins stands [[Friar_of_Honour%27s_Rest#Honour.27s_Rest|Honour's Rest]], a small shrine and orchard tended by friars who watch over the ruins and the barrow mounds.

{{anchor|Orchard's Watch}}
===Ruins of Orchard's Watch===
[[Commission|Commissioned]] by the [[Senate]] in Autumn 378YE, the [[Fortify_Overton|fortification of Overton]] largely took place during the Jotun ceasefire. Work was overseen by Bridget Eastville, senator for Mitwold, and took place under the watchful gaze of Jotun scouts. The [[fortification]] consisted of solid walls around most of the town, with a central keep. A number of buildings damaged by Jotun raids were cleared, and apple trees planted in their place - a memorial to those Marchers who had died fighting for the Empire. The keep incorporated the old fortified manor house that served as a stop-gap defence - a base of operation for scouts gathering information about Jotun activity in the territory.

During the great Jotun offensive after the Winter Solstice 380YE, following several seasons of concerted attacks, the castle was levelled by orc siege engines. The memorial apple orchard burned during the fall of Overton - it is not known which side set the fire that consumed it.

<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Whittle Folk.jpg|align=left|caption=Sects dedicated to [[malign spiritual presences]], such as the Whittle folk, can prove a major threat to the stability of the Empire - and the souls of the virtuous.|width=500}}</div>
===Whittle===
A village in [[#Freemoor|Freemoor]], at the base of Whittle Hill, well known for its rich green iron mine. The inhabitants resisted the Jotun for thirty years - after an initial short-lived occupation by the Jotun they took back their village and the territory around it, dug in, and waited for help to come. Specifically, their survival hinged on an agreement with the local Jotun to let everything go to a fight-to-the-death between forces yearly rather than just be crushed. The Jotun agreed to this arrangement thinking they'd surely not hold on for more than a season or two. Instead, they held out for thirty years. In time, facing the Whittle folk in battle became a rite of passage for young Jotun in the Mournwold.

Unable to contact the outside world, lacking magical or mundane means to get word out that they were alive, they waited. While initially [[Up on Whittle Hill|welcomed]] by their fellow Marchers when contact was re-established in Spring 380YE, it [[Will_to_survive|soon became clear]] that they had embraced the malign spiritual power of [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Hatred|hatred]] - a power that they claimed gave them the will and the strength to resist the orcs and which they offered to share with the rest of the Marches. The Marcher assembly categorically refused their offer, encouraging the rest of the Marches to [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Shunning|shun]] them.

When the Jotun reconquered Freemoor, the majority of the population [[City_folk_and_country_folk|moved to Tassato]] where they built a small enclave with the assistance of the city's Chamber of Commerce. Many Whittle folk died during the fall of Overton, fighting the Jotun in defence of the Mourn- a fact that has endeared them to many of the remaining Mournwolders. After the territory was liberated, they returned to their homes, but proved to be intractable opponents of the [[Mournwold thralls]]. In the end, after accusations of blasphemy and heresy in the Imperial Synod, the [[Splitting the pot|militia were sent in]] to apprehend the ringleaders. The Whittle folk refused to surrender their community leaders, and the siege ended in a bloodbath. Today Whittle is little more than a ghost town, and perhaps a cautionary tale about the danger caused by those who embrace the tenets of Hatred.

'''OOC Note:''' It is not possible to play a character who was from Whittle.
===Jonah Gold===
Not a point of interest so much as a ''person'' of interest, Jonah Gold is a possibly-legendary figure whose story dates from the time of the [[The Marches history#Joining the Empire|Cousins' War]]. Jonah is said to have been born in the [[#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]] long before the Mournwold was part of the Marches proper; in some versions he is the son of a [[Tassato|Tassatan]] immigrant and a Marcher sheep herder. Stories say that Jonah was a miner who quarried out metal of such quality that his weapons turned the tide of war for his household during the short-lived Marcher civil war. A jealous friend betrayed him to the enemy, and for a heavy purse of coin staged a mining accident that trapped him behind a rockfall where he presumably perished. Over the centuries, a number of legends and stories have been attributed to Jonah - if the man had participated in all the stories attributed to him he would have been so busy moving around the Marches, southern Wintermark. and northern Brass Coast he would never have had time to do any actual mining!

His stories do not end with his death. His ghost is said to haunt the mines of the Marches, especially the green iron mines of the Mournwold. Superstitious miners say that to see Jonah Gold presages disaster - whether his appearance causes a catastrophe reminiscent of the collapse that killed him, or if he simply warns against them varies from legend to legend and place to place. There are even a few stories of sightings of what sounds a lot like Jonah Gold in the hills of [[Kahraman]], and the old mines north of Tassato.

Some scholars who have taken the time to study the stories of his ghostly appearance disagree with the accepted wisdom that Jonah Gold is a ghost. While there is plenty of precedence for so-called "warning ghosts", these scholars argue that the sightings are actually of an [[Astronomancy|astronomantic]] [[Astronomancy#Tulpas|tulpa]] rather than a restless spirit - but their argument is undermined by an inability to agree on which constellation the tulpa represents.

Jonah's name has also been given to a variety of apple commonly grown in the Mournwold. Heavy, green and sweet, with a sharp bite, the "Jonah Gold" variety is used extensively in cooking sweet pies and apple sauce, and traditionally is buried with miners from the Mourn, particularly those who quarry green iron.

His story is immortalised in the [[Jonah Gold|popular song that bears his name]].

==Regions==
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Wild Man Of The Mourn.jpg|caption=The forest of Alderly is very old, and has no welcome for trespassers.|width=500|align=right}}</div>
===Alderly===
* '''Quality:''' Forest
A forest of old oak and sycamore. Marcher faerie tales spoke of diminutive creatures who hide beneath the trees and prey on unruly children - references to a hidden [[Feni]] enclave deep in the woods. The Feni of Alderly occasionally raided into [[#Green March|Green March]], [[#Chalkdowns|Chalkdowns]], and [[Mitwold#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]], but for the most part they kept to themselves. The Marchers who lived in the forest were always considered peculiar, and three decades of isolation under the orcs just intensified their strangeness. Insular and uncommunicative, the hamlets and small villages of charcoal burners and woodcutters are known to have more than a little Feni blood, and there is some question whether the Alderly folk were even truly Marchers anymore. Regardless, however, they were still Mournwolders.

During the [[Jotun]] occupation, the deep woods were conquered only in theory - the Jotun controlled the grasslands beyond the forest, and the edges of the woodlands, but they did not go too deep. Likewise, when the Empire liberated the region in 381YE, they faced opposition from the Feni and settled for driving the Jotun out and claiming the lighter woodlands and the fields, rather than risk pushing too far into dangerous territory in the deeper woods. In the Winter of 382YE, however, the [[Drakes]] went into the deepwoods of Alderly and [[382YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Rattle_of_the_Bones|drove out the Feni]]. Many died; some fled to [[Liathaven]]; others apparently took darker paths. To the surprise of few, a number of the Marchers in the woods fought alongside the Feni; today the woods are mostly deserted save for a very few scattered, isolated hamlets who shun outsiders even more fiercely.

===Chalkdowns===
A land of rolling chalk downland with close-cropped turf and dry valleys, the people of the Chalkdowns are perhaps the closest to what an outsider thinks of when they imagine Marchers. They have their own peculiarities, however. The yeomen practice a particularly Mourn form of agriculture, combining raising corn and raising sheep, whose droppings help to fertilise the cornfields when they are not grazing on the springy Mournwold turf.

Due to their emphasis on farming, the yeomen of the Chalkdowns had a somewhat disproportionate level of influence over the Mournwold, and involvement in the politics of the Marches and the Empire alike. Perhaps as many as half of all senators for the Mournwold were picked by [[steward|stewards]] from Chalkdowns in the years that the Mournwold was part of the Empire. This made the Chalkdowns prosperous, and the yeomanry wealthy, but it also led to a simmering resentment from the miners of [[#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]] and [[#Southmoor|Southmoor]]. During the Jotun occupation the taxes claimed by their [[orc]] overlords impoverished even the richest, most stubborn farmers. With the Imperial liberation, it is likely that some of the yeomen who fled north (or their children) will want to return. What they will make of their new neighbours - orcs, and human thralls who endured the Jotun occupation - remains to be seen.

===Freemoor===
The wildest part of the Mournwold, Freemoor is split roughly between scrubby farmland in the west and wooded valleys in the east. The folk here had a reputation for being stand-offish on par with the people of [[Bregasland]], especially those who preferred the gentle hills and woodlands of the west. Most of the farms here were never especially wealthy, but the stewards and yeomen were renowned for their stubborn refusal to go anywhere else. More Freemoor people than any other part of the Mournwold refused to leave when the Jotun came, and remained as thralls - albeit bitter, stubborn, intractable thralls.

There are three well-known landmarks in Freemoor: ''Old Pig'', an aptly named chalk figure carved into the hills of the wold; the fortification of [[#Landskeeper's Bulkwark|Landskeeper's Bulwark]] and ''The Whittle Hill'', the largest hillock in the western Mournwold. The village of [[#Whittle|Whittle]] stands at the base of Whittle Hill, although most of its residents now live in [[Tassato#Tassato Mestra|Tassato Mestra]].

===Green March===
Green March was always a little odd - isolated from the rest of the Mournwold by [[#Alderly|Alderly]], the yeomanry often felt they had more in common with the farmers of [[Mitwold]] than their distant neighbours in [[#Chalkdowns|Chalkdowns]] and [[#Southmoor|Southmoor]]. The first region of Mournwold to fall to the Jotun, the site of the first engagement between the Imperial armies and the Jotun is still marked by a series of Jotun burial mounds that surround the ruins of the village of Kineton - half of them containing the bodies of soldiers who fell in a futile attempt to slow the orc advance.

Many of the citizens of Green March fled north to the [[Mitwold#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]]; unlike many of the Mournwold refugees the majority of them show little interest in returning to reclaim the land they lost three decades ago.

Near the border with [[Bregasland]] stands an odd monument called '''High Courage'''. Looking down across the moors towards [[Liathaven]], it is a large statue of a stag with broken antlers, ascribed to the people of Terunael. On a stone block at the base of the statue Imperial letters simply read “High Courage” but it is clear that they are more recent than the statue itself.

===Greensward===
* '''Qualities:''' Memorial, Ruins
The Greensward was the last holdout of Imperial presence in the Mourn. The refugees and survivors who set up camp at [[#Overton|Overton]] are gone along with the town, the offices of the [[Sheriff of Overton]], and the castle of [[#Ruins of Orchard's Watch|Orchard's Watch]]. Greensward Monastery, the abbey that once served to keep the morale of the defenders high, is now a burnt out shell amid the foothills of [[Kahraman]]. The soil itself is said to have become sodden with the sheer amount of human and orc blood shed during the battles over the grasslands. Tens of thousands of humans and orcs died fighting in the Greensward, and these deaths have soured the earth here.

Overlooked by [[#Farstrider's Watch|Farstriders Watch]], the fields of the Greensward - the same fields that once made the stewards here rich from sales to Tassato in the east - are largely fallow. The yeofolk who might have worked them fled south to Kahraman, or east to Tassato. Others chose to go west with the Jotun, turning their backs on the Empire forever. The humans who remain are primarily [[The_Marches_religious_beliefs#Monks_and_Friars|monks and friars]], tending to the dead, and seeking to offer some comfort to the ghosts that now haunt the Greensward.

===Ore Hills===
* '''Quality:''' Hills
The ore hills (sometimes rendered, unsurprisingly, as "''our hills''" in the drawling dialect favoured by the natives) are riddled with mine workings and quarries. The hills throughout the territory are rich in veins of [[Materials#Green Iron|green iron]], but the Ore Hills are site of some of the most prosperous mines in the Mourn - as befits the legendary birthplace of Marcher folk hero [[#Jonah Gold|Jonah Gold]]. Before the Jotun came, Ore Hills was the centre of dissatisfaction with the political realities of life in the Marches. In 326YE a poor harvest finally ignited the long drawn out conflict between the miners and the [[#Chalkdowns|Chalkdowns]] farmers. In late Autumn a violent mob descended on the lowland farms and raided cattle and grain in a manner reminiscent of a Feni attack. The magistrates were quick to respond, arresting the ringleaders and in some cases executing the worst of them. The people of the Ore Hills still sing sad songs about this great "injustice" - much to the chagrin of the farmers of Chalkdowns and Freemoor. Further details are contained in ''[[The Ore Hills Rebellion]]'', a [[historical research]] report published after the Spring Equinox 386YE.

Some of the older mines here have a bad reputation, and feature regularly in Marcher ghost-stories and cautionary tales. According to these stories ''unnatural things'' are occasionally sighted in the deepest parts of the oldest mines. Details are never clear and many sensible people dismiss them as either fantasy brought on by too much time without sunlight, or else ascribe the sightings to [[trogoni]] or perhaps even the ghost of old Jonah Gold.

===Southmoor===
* '''Quality:''' Hills
The last region to fall to the Jotun during their invasion, Southmoor is the location of '''Sarcombe''', a prosperous mining town, rich off the back of trade in green iron to the Navarr in Liathaven, ruined during the last months of the orc invasion. The Jotun built a [[fortification|castle]] over the ruins - Hillstop - and it served as their main base of operations for their occupation of the Mournwold until the Autumn Equinox 381YE. The Jotun used it to keep a careful eye eastward to the Greensward - and beyond to Tassato. Jarl Haakon, a young but powerful Jotun leader, ruled much of the land in Southmoor. He was notorious for his hatred of the [[Feni]] - he led his warband into Alderly forest on three separate occasions, seeking to find and crush the heart of Feni power, but was never successful. He was considered a wise and just ruler by the standards of his own people; someone who ruled without favour or prejudice and was considered to have a promising future. He was forced to flee when the Mournwold fell, leaving his estates and his thralls behind, a failure that has by all accounts gnawed at him ever since.

The people of Southmoor before the invasion were considered more pragmatic than their neighbours in [[#Ore Hills|Ore Hills]], at least as far as politics went. Sarcombe was a rich [[market town]], and the [[Alders|alders]] made little secret of the fact that they used their wealth to influence the politics of the Mournwold when they felt the need. As such there was residual bad blood between the miners in the east, and those in the west, that was occasionally exploited by the [[Senator|senators]] of the Mourn. Today, the rich alders are gone. Indeed, most of the remaining residents appear to be orcs with the human residents long since fled or displaced.

During Summer 385YE, Jarl Haakon [[Shallows_and_miseries#Choices_.28Conjunction.29|returned to Southmoor]] along with a small warband. The Jotun were apparently establishing hidden stores of food, caches of weapons, and makeshift palisades ready for when the armies of the Jotun once again invaded the Mourn. The [[Bailiff of the Downs]] led a contingent of Imperial heroes to confront the Jarl, but he and most of his band managed to escape. The location of the caches is unknown, despite the best efforts of the local [[beater|beaters]]. A year later, the majority of the caches were removed by the beaters of the Marches along with [[The_wild_wind_rises|support]] from the unconquered of Highguard.


{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mournwold|Territory=Mournwold|Season=Spring|Controlled=is}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Autumn Equinox 387YE, the Marches controls the entire territory. The Mournwold is an Imperial territory.
* [[#Farstrider's Watch|Farstrider's Watch]] is a rank one [[fortification]] in Greensward.
* [[#Landskeepers Bulwark|Landskeepers Bulwark]] is a rank one [[fortification]] in Freemoor.
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Black Canal and produce an extra 36 rings each season
* [[Congregation|Congregations]] in the territory benefit from Rebellion's Ridge and produce an extra 2 doses of liao each season
* [[Farm|Farms]] in the territory benefit from the Breadbasket and produce an extra 36 rings each season
* [[Mine|Mines]] in the territory benefit from the Black Canal and produce an additional 4 ingots each season


==Further Reading==
* [[Because they must]] - 387YE Autumn wind of war
* [[If one be gone we carry on]] - 387YE Summer wind of war
* [[Over western hills]] - 386YE Winter wind of war
* [[The wild wind rises]] - 386YE Autumn wind of war
* [[Standards]] - 386YE Summer wind of war
* [[An apple that falls]] - 381YE Autumn wind of fortune
* [[All along the watchtower]] - 381YE Summer wind of fortune
* [[Watered with fears]] - 381YE Spring wind of fortune
* [[379YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Mourning_Wind|The mourning wind]] - 379YE Winter wind of war
[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Jotun]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]

Mareave

2026-08-13T14:01:15Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Fleisardh */

<div style="float: left; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Mareave.png|400x400px}}</div>
==Overview==
Mareave is part of the Broken Shore, conquered by the Empire at the start of 386YE and assigned to the Imperial Orcs the same season. It borders [[Spiral]], [[Ayereed]] and an unknown territory of Skoura. It has much more in common with the coast of [[Spiral]] and [[Redoubt]] than that of Attar; there are comparatively few natural harbours here, and the coastline is both rocky and raised into steep cliffs. Like the rest of the Broken Shore, it is warm and dry with little in the way of large-scale vegetation.

The largest settlement is the town of Beoraidh; which also serves as the only substantial port in the territory, and is the location of Lord Ehsan's Palace of Chains.

==Economics==
* '''All mine personal resources in Mareave produce 30 additional rings each season'''
Many of the Imperial Orcs have something of a cultural taboo against working mines, but that's not the case for the orcs of Mareave. The [[Golden Pyramid]] discovered that there are many fine quality mines in Mareave. A methodical approach from a dozen Urizen, Varushkan, and League magicians tracks any number of good quality delves in the mountains that ring Mareave to the north and east. Some of them are already in the hands of orcs who remain in the territory, others have been abandoned.

The mountains here are rich in gold, silver and copper as well as the magical metals. Using the list of mine workings [[Digging_for_fire#Precious_Mines|identified by the Golden Pyramid]], any Imperial Orc who operates a [[mine]] in the territory will find that they receive an additional thirty rings each season, representing money earned by selling any precious metals recovered. They're free to roleplay that they have established a mine of their own; that they pay the local orcs to work it for them; or that the money they receive is gained by offering protection to the people who do the actual mining.

==Recent History==
At some point in the distant past, the territory of Mareave was known as ''Mahal'', named by the human settlers who drove out the [[orc|orcs]] that had previously lived there. These were not members of any Imperial nation; they were the ancestors of the [[Skoura|Skouran]] people. There is [[Mareave and Urizen|some evidence]] of a handful of [[Urizen]] [[spire|spires]] in the north but no indication the territory was ever made part of that nation even in pre-Imperial times. Eventually, the orcs reconquered the land and drove them into the mountains to the east. Much of this history can be found in the ''[[Mareave and Urizen]]'' [[historical research]] document published in late 385YE.

The territory has long been the seat of one of the Salt Lords - the rulers of [[Grendel]] society, who ruled from the city of [[#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]], itself built on the ruins of a much older city. The armies that [[Spiral#Recent_History|invaded Spiral]] in 331YE came north through Mareave, through the [[Spiral#The_Passes|Apulian Gate]] that is the only reliable way to move large numbers of troops between the Broken Shore and the Empire.

In 381YE, the [[Senate]] took advantage of an [[opportunity]] to [[Map_the_Bay_of_Catazar|send Imperial captains]] to [[Talking_sailor#Map_the_Bay|map the Bay of Catazar]]. Thanks to the [[How_sweet_is_the_sea#Mapping_the_Bay|enthusiasm of the Empire's mariners]], the first reliable modern map of the [[Bay of Catazar]] was produced. This included details of [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|Attar and the Broken Shore]] - including a [[Bay_of_Catazar#Mareave|first look]] at the coast of Mareave. This was later followed by a [[Construct_Spy_Network_in_Mareave|more extensive survey]] in 385YE.

Ultimately, the map led to a raid against the city of Beoraidh following the Winter Solstice 382YE. An incredible number of Imperial [[fleet|ships]] and [[military unit|soldiers]] launched a [[383YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Mission|surprise attack]] against the city, inflicting significant damage and liberating a large number of both slaves and soldiers who had been press-ganged by the Grendel. These orcs would form the foundation of the [[Sannite]] sept of the [[Imperial Orcs]].

After the Autumn Equinox 385YE, and the end of the [[Ratify treaty with the Grendel Autumn 383YE|two year peace treaty]] with the orcs of the Broken Shore, four [[Army|Imperial armies]] passed through the Apulian Way to launch the first serious attempt to [[Between_stone_and_salt|conquer the territory of Mareave]]. They faced only token resistance, with the bulk of the Grendel forces being [[A beacon of smoke|engaged in their own attack]] on the other side of the Bay. The four armies conquered [[#Icarion|Icarion]] and [[#Nadir|Nadir]], and following a [[Between_stone_and_salt#Politics_of_Mareave_(Battle)|major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate]] during the Winter Solstice, they secured their hold on [[#Eoradal|Eoradal]] as well.

The Grendel responded by reinforcing the (somewhat disorganised) defence mounted by Salt Lord Ehsan and the Brine Turtles, but it was not enough. Imperial armies pushed south, [[Sea-wood fed with copper|capturing the wealthy region]] of [[#Clisearn|Clisearn]] and the mines of [[#Fundindelve|Fundindelve]]. By the start of the new year 386YE, the Empire had control of the territory - although that control was by no means secure. Shortly before the Spring Equinox, the (former) Salt Lord of Beoraidh sent a [[Sea-wood_fed_with_copper#Warp_and_Weft|delegation]] to speak to the leaders of the Imperial armies with a number of unexpected offers contingent upon the Imperial Senate recognising him and his people as foreigners distinct from the rest of the Grendel.

==Points of Interest==
===Beoraidh===
The port of Beoraidh is the only major coastal settlement in Mareave. Built on a relatively accessible part of the shoreline, the town always appears to be in danger of being washed away. Much work has been done to rebuild the town in the years since the raid, though clearly, most resources have gone towards the shipyard that commands the docks. When Mareave became part of the Empire, the former [[Grendel]] Salt-lord Ehsan negotiated to keep the city, and the region of [[#Sinfoyard|Sinfoyard]] independent. Through careful maneuvering, Ehsan also arranged a neutrality pact with his former Salt Lords, allowing Beoraidh to become effectively an independent city-state on the coast of Mareave. So far they have declined to become involved in fighting between Grendel and Imperial forces in the territory.

In Autumn 387YE, this arrangement went further when the [[Sarcophan Delves]] announced they were engaged in treaty negotiations with Beoraidh with an eye towards it becoming a [[All_the_night-tide#Beoraidh|defacto protectorate]] of that great nation. It seems that the ambitions of the Delves, and those of Ehsan, are aligned toward seeing the city become a valuable trade hub on the [[Bay of Catazar]].

===[[Fundindelve]]===
In northern Clisearn, deep in the mountains near the Ohwinn river, is a large village built around a wide opening cut deep into one of the mountains. This is Fundindelve; a mine with ready access to abundant veins of mithril that lie beneath Mount Finnoderi.

Fundindelve is an Imperial [[Bourse|Bourse position]] which produces 24 wains of mithril each season. Control of Fundindelve is assigned by open auction at the Autumn Equinox each year.
===Rucraic's Redoubt===
Once called ''Rucraic's Aeria'', this old Grendel fortification was [[Sea-wood_fed_with_copper#Ripples_in_the_Water|captured]] by the [[Seventh Wave]] during the Imperial campaign to conquer Mareave. It was renamed [[Fortify_Ruicraic%27s_Redoubt|extensively redesigned]] following proposals [[We_all_stand#Storm_Lords_Sentinel|drawn up]] by [[Tamazi]] engineers, and renamed ''Rucraic's Redoubt''. Both names reference the Grendel (and [[Sannite]]) ancestor, [[Grendel_religion#Rucraic_-_The_Storm_Lord|Rucraic the Storm Lord]].

The [[fortification#Bastion|bastion]] not only defends the base of the great aqueduct in [[Mareave#Eoradal|Eoradal]], but it could also serve as an [[embassy]] to [[Skoura]] - should the mountain-folk accept the existance of an embassy as a good idea.

The fortification also went some way toward reassuring the cynical orcs of northern Mareave - especially the ''Uthni'' family - that the Imperial Orcs were here to stay. The [[fortification#garrison|garrison]] is mostly composed of a mix of Sannite and Tamazi warriors, but since early 388YE it has received increasing support from the independent orcs of the region as well.

===Palace of Chains===
To the south-east of the town of Beoraidh, the Palace of Chains squats over the river; controlling access between the north and south of the territory. A series of watchtowers run eastwards, into the mountains. The inner buildings of the fortification are used by Lord Ehsan; with marble walls that have high windows that open to allow a breeze. The city is effectively protected by a fortification of strength 6,000.
===Great Aqueduct===
The Great Aqueduct of Eoradal is a massive construction of [[white granite]] that links arid Eoradal with the mountains of [[Skoura]]. It was built around the remnants of an old aqueduct and irrigation system originally created when Mareave was under the control of Skouran ancestors, but fell into disuse and ruin when the Grendel seized the territory. Work on the rejuvenated structure was completed shortly before the Summer Solstice 387YE. A diplomatic agreement was reached whereby the Empire would [[Million_miles_of_water#The_Eoradal_Tunnels|purchase access to the Skouran aquifers]] high in the mountains, providing eastern Mareave with a seemingly endless supply of fresh water. Now, the aqueduct supports not only farming in the region, but with completion of [[Spiral#Curstag's_Way|Curstag's Way]] - a road linking Mareave to the wider Empire - the establishment of a sizable new settlement at Eoradal.

===The Apulian Way===
The Apulian Way links Icarion with [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulus]] in Spiral. This "pass" runs through the foothill, along the coast of the Bay of Catazar, and was widened during the peace treaty to allow Grendel caravans carrying white granite into the Spiral from the Broken Shore.

===The Twinned Trading Posts===
The Twinned Trading Posts, in Sinfoyard and Icarion respectively, were [[Construct Beoraidh Trading Post|built]] shortly after the Spring Equinox 388YE, following a [[A_knock_at_the_door#Salt_and_Beef|proposal]] put forward by ''Rubhart Kaltrin'', as the Ambassador to the Empire. The trading posts encourage the trade of salt and ores from Beoraidh for salt beef, tallow, and other cattle-based products from the [[Shepherd_of_the_Southern_Herd|southern herd]] and beyond.
{{anchor|Lighthouse of Icarion}}
===Lighthouse of Icarion (Destroyed)===
[[#Icarion|Icarion]] was the site of several ruins dating back to the days when [[Urizen]] held part of Mareave. The cliff-top buildings were clearly built in the Urizen style, but were at one point converted for use by the Grendel. The Lighthouse at Icarion was the largest and most striking of these ruins - a small settlement built around a seven-sided lighthouse constructed with [[white granite]], topped by a globe of [[tempest jade]]. There was no light shining from the globe - the lightstone was presumably lost long ago.

The Lighthouse of Icarion was, unfortunately, the most prominent casualty of [[Spring magic]] unleashed in Mareave following the Summer Solstice 388YE. Along with ruins across the territory, it was [[A_wizard_did_it#Rains_in_Mareave|unmade]] by a wave of fertility and fecundity. All that remains of the lighthouse and its settlement are a few piles of rubble overgrown with orange flowers and scrubby grass.
{{anchor|Blood River Colossi}}

===Blood River Colossi (Destroyed)===
Two giant statues once stood on the coast facing the sea, each about fifty feet tall. The weathered statues depicted humanoid figures with human faces and the remnants of what might have once been a spear of a staff. They flanked a waterfall that cascades into the Bay of Catazar with dark red-brown polluted water. The rising water level had eroded the left foot of the northern statue, putting it at risk of falling to the sea. Despite their condition, the statues remained an impressive sight.

All this changed during the Winter Solstice 387YE. The [[Grendel]] used awful [[Winter magic]] to cause the Blood River Colossi to crumble and collapse, [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|accelerating]] the natural process of erosion using a relic called the ''Hawser of the Drowned''. The impact of the magic was far-reaching - destruction spread from the Colossi along the coast, bringing down the high cliffs that had once protected [[#Fleisardh|Fleisardh]] from the sea and providing southern Mareave with an entirely new [[Region_qualities#Coastal|coastline]].

==Regions==
===Icarion===
'''Quality:''' Hills<br>
The hills of [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulus]] extend down into Icarion and dominate the region. Icarion, like Nadir to the east, is sparsely populated - beyond a handful of mining settlements there are a few small camps making full use of the neglected ruins of the [[Mareave_and_Urizen#Before_the_Empire|former spires]] of Urizen. The mining settlements deliver wagons of iron and copper, along with crates of [[orichalcum]] and [[green iron]] down to the town of Aghnayadh in Sinfoyard.

After the Spring Equinox 388YE, a wave of [[Spring magic]] washed across Mareave, apparently created by a confluence of a [[Rivers of Life|curse]] and the ongoing [[Things go awry|magical chaos]] related in some fashion to the [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] [[astronomancy#Constellations|constellations]]. The magic wreaked havoc on the ruins of Icarion, causing them to be enshrouded with plants that ultimately tore them apart. By the time of the Summer Solstice, evidence of Urizen, Skouran, and Grendel habitation here was reduced to piles of rubble, scrubby grass, and scattered orange flowers.

===Nadir===
'''Quality:''' Hills<br>
Much like [[#Icarion|Icarion]], the hills of Spiral continue into Nadir. The region is even less populated than Icarion to the west; there is only one village of note, Rathmonna, nestled in a lee near the mountains of [[Mountains_of_the_Moon#Borenj|Borenj]]. Rathmonna has low walls, nothing close to a [[fortification]], but serves well enough to protect the inhabitants from the packs of [[Mundane_beasts#Drakes|drakes]] that infest the area but that provide an industry for the high-risk and high-reward profession of hunter. The high mountains to the north and east are impassable; there is no access to either the Mountains of the Moon nor Skoura from Nadir.

The [[Shepherd of the Southern Herd|southern herd]] was established as part of the [[Million_miles_of_water#The_Cattle_Markets|Great Beef Market of '87]], which saw hundreds of heads of cattle purchased from across the Marches and [[High_hopes#The_Southern_Herd|drove]] across the Empire.

===Eoradal===
'''Qualities:''' Hills, Ruins, Foreigners (Uthni)<br>
Eoradal is a region of gentle foothills that slowly rise the further eastwards; the great mountains that are the border to Skoura continue southwards and dominate the horizon. There are ruins here in a style reminiscent of the [[Mountains_of_the_Moon#Zanaeti_Tunnels_and_the_Skouran_Embassy|Skouran embassy]] in the Mountains of the Moon - clearly they are all that remains of the [[Skoura|Skourans]] that held the region hundreds of years ago. The ruins are clustered around the border to Skoura and lead deeper into the mountains. The [[#Great_Aqueduct|Great Aqueduct]] that provides water and irrigation to the depths of the arid region has also helped support the founding of a new settlement amid the ruins of the old town of Eoradal, a settlement that now grows larger every day. It's likely that the industry that accompanied this growth is one reason that many of the ruins of central Eoradal survived the Spring magic that swept away the remnants of Icarion and Naris - supernatual vegetation was cleared before it could take hold - but outside of the are around the aqueduct and Rucarion's Redoubt, there are no significant ruins left in Eoradal.

Prior to the Imperial invasion the folk of Eoradal were mostly orcs who did well out of offering service to the Grendel. Though they were rewarded with land and privileges for serving the Salt Lords, for the most part they had little actual ''affection'' for them. The main problem faced by the Imperial Orcs was that the Eoradal families expected the Salt Lords to return at any moment, and anticipated both great rewards for staying “true” to their former masters' ([[Grendel_religion#Fidelity|Fidelity]]), and punishment if they threw their lot in with the Empire too readily ([[Grendel_religion#Retribution|Retribution]]). Foremost among the Eoradal orcs resisting the Empire were the ''Uthni'', a widely extended family native to Eoradal who claim a strong connection to the Grendel ancestor [[Grendel_religion#Rucraic_-_The_Storm_Lord|Rucraic the Storm Lord]].

The orc families of Eoradal, and the Uthni in particular, are close in temperament to the [[Sannite]] sept, but motivated by a belief that the conquest of Mareave by the Empire will prove as temporary as the Grendel conquest of Spiral has always been. They view the Imperial Orcs' presence as a disruption of the normal order of things that should soon be over, their opposition mostly grounded in a belief that it will earn them favour with the Salt Lords when they inevitably return – and because they just don't see any long-term advantage to cooperating. The cynicism of the orcs of Eoradal is discussed in more detail in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Cynicism|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

===Sinfoyard===
'''Quality:''' Beoraidh<br>
The coastline of Sinfoyard is rocky, which abruptly leads to steep cliffs that stand tall against the waves of the [[Bay of Catazar]]. The region is barren, even more so than the rest of the territory, but is heavily populated due to the salt mines of Lord Ehsan. Near the salt mine is the sprawling town of Aghnayadh; home to warehouses filled with ore from the northern regions and destined for further south, and with accommodation for those desperate enough to work the salt mines.

===Beoraidh===
'''Qualities:''' City, Coastal, Beoraidh <br>
Beoraidh is the most densely populated of all the regions in Mareave. It houses the town that shares its [[#Beoraidh|name]] with the region, the [[fortification|fortified]] [[#Palace of Chains|Palace of Chains]] that straddles the ''Ohwinn'' river before it meets the sea, and the [[shipyard]] to the south of the port. The walled headquarters and warehouses of the North Mareave Trading Consortium are located slightly to the north of the port.

===Clisearn===
'''Quality:''' Hills, Recalcitrant Inhabitants<br>
The hills of Clisearn are similar to those found in [[#Eoradal|Eoradal]]; low foothills that lead into the imposing mountains to the east. The key difference is the sheer amount of wealth found in this region. The family of Lord Ehsan once resided here in extensive villas rather than in the Palace of Chains or the dilapidated port town of Beoraidh. The ''Ohwinn'' river starts in the hills, not far from the Fundindelve. There was once a small garrison of [[Elite_Grendel_troops#The_Stone_Born|Stone Born]] who guarded both the mine and the villas of Ehsan.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 250px; margin-right: 10px;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Lodge of Golden Pyramid.jpg|align=right|caption=The Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid stands as an example of Imperial wealth|title=Art by Anastasiya Lukashovna Volkov|width=250}}</div>
The main problem facing the Empire here was that under Grendel domination these people were important, wealthy, and felt privileged. Thanks to the abundance of water, they controlled rich farms and beautiful gardens. When Imperial forces took Mareave, many of the orcs who remained here were wealthy Grendel: valued miners and engineers, privileged artisans and magicians, rich landowners or farmers. A number retreated to Beoraidh, or fled the territory entirely, and those who remained looked forward to the return of the Grendel because they saw it as the only way to restore their lost prestige. They did not oppose the Imperial Orcs directly but took every opportunity to undermine their control of Mareave. The core of the opposition was centred around the leaders of three rival families, forced to work together by the conquest of the territory. The ''Adahr'', ''Marr'', and ''Tholdie'' were are no friends to Salt Lord Ehsan and for whatever reasons they remain unwilling to join Ehsan's new city state.

Their resentment was addressed in part through the establishment of the [[Golden Pyramid#Grand Lodge|Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid]] in Clisearn, but they remain suspicious of the Imperial Orcs, jealously hoarding what little prestige they still enjoy. More information about the independent orcs of Clisearn can be found in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Selfishness|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

===Fleisardh===
'''Qualities:''' Coastal, [[Region_qualities#Uncooperative|Uncooperative]], [[Region_qualities#Under_Threat|Under threat]] (Grendel)<br>
Fleisardh is the original home of the Brine Turtles, one of the [[Grendel_look_and_feel#Broken_Shores_Septs|major septs]] of the Broken Shore and the core of the army of the same name. Their town of Fioroult is built next to the lake that feeds the "''blood river''" and is sprawling and dangerous. The lake is fresh water, but there is something in the earth in eastern Mareave that rapidly makes the water undrinkable, tainting it with a crimson hue and making it splash sluggishly - like blood - into the Bay of Catazar. The Brine Turtles maintain a very public town watch but the town is large enough and filled with enough ramshackle dwellings that there are three times as many snickets as there are clear roads and every one of them is potentially deadly. There is a small and close-knit group of "''alleywalkers''" who serve a similar function to the [[Thief-taker|thief-takers]] of the Imperial Orcs. The [[#Blood_River_Colossi|Blood River Colossi]] stand as sentinels looking out over the Bay of Catazar.

The Brine Turtles dominate Fleisardh even while the region is under Imperial Control. For years, they were one of the two dominant forces in Mareave, rivalling the power of the Salt Lords of Beoraidh. Their warriors form the army of the same name and fight proudly under the banners of the Grendel. Indeed, they would be the group most likely to take up arms against the Empire... if not for the fact that most of the people able to wield those arms are ''already'' fighting the Empire.

The civilian leaders of the Brine Turtle are concentrated in and around the settlement of Fioroult and one of the few large sources of potable water in the region. As a sept, they are proud, comparatively powerful, and resentful. They control the borders between Mareave and the rest of the Broken Shore, and are keen to see the Imperial Orcs driven out. They are barely even prepared to ''talk'' to the Empire, let alone help it move through their arid lands or share their resources with it. More details of the Brine Turtles can be found in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Shells|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

Shortly after the Winter Solstice 387YE, the cliffs of Fleisardh were brought down by the ''Haulers of the Tide'', a [[Winter magic|Salt]] coven from Attar, using the boon of the [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|Sunken Rope]].
{{CaptionedImage|file=Pathfinder Gaddak.jpg|caption='''Pathfinder Gaddak''', Senator for Mareave|align=left|width=300}}
{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mareave|Territory=Mareave|Season=Spring}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE, the city-state of Beoraidh controls Beoraidh and Sinfoyard, and the Grendel control Fleisardh. The Imperial Orcs, and thus the Empire, control the rest of the territory.
* The Senator for Mareave receives a seasonal income of ten crowns in "gifts" and open bribes from the orcs of Beoraidh as per the '''[[Set_my_lands_in_order#Smoothing_the_Hard_Edges|Set my lands in order]]''' wind of fortune
* Ruicraic's Redoubt is a rank one [[fortification]] in Eoradal
* [[#Palace of Chains|The Palace of Chains]] is a rank one fortification with a particularly strong [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] in Beoraidh
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce an additional 36 rings each season
* [[mana site|Mana sites]] in the territory benefit from the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce an additional mana crystal each season
* [[Mine|Mines]] in the territory benefit from the wealth of the northern hills and the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce 30 rings and two extra ingots each season.
* The [[#Grand Aqueduct|Grand Aqueduct]] removes the ''arid'' quality from the region of Eoradal
* The [[Shepherd of the Southern Herd|Southern Herd]] removes the ''arid'' quality from the region of Nadir
* The Icarion Qanat removes the ''arid'' quality from Icarion
* [[Spiral#Curstag's Way|Curstag's Way]] in [[Spiral]] removes the ''under developed'' quality from the region of Icarion
[[Category:Imperial Orcs]][[Category:Gazetteer]][[Category:Imperial_Territory]][[Category:Grendel]]

==Further Reading==
* [[A_wizard_did_it#Rains_in_Mareave|A wizard did it]] - 388YE Summer wind of fortune relating to Spring magic in Mareave
* [[Mithril and rope]] - 388YE Summer wind of war regarding further clashes over Clisearn
* [[Wide azure skies]] - 388YE Spring wind of war detailing the renewed Grendel efforts into Clisearn
* [[Scarlet sands]] - 387YE Winter wind of war detailing the Imperial retaliation against the Grendel invasion
* [[Lines of care and sorrow]] - 387YE Autumn wind of war detailing the Grendel invasion of Mareave
* [[Million miles of water]] - 386YE Winter Wind of Fortune about steps that can be taken to remove the arid quality
* [[Here to stay]] - 386YE Autumn wind of fortune detailing the appraisal to encourage the southern orcs to be more cooperative
* [[We all stand]] - 386YE Autumn wind of fortune detailing opportunities presented by the [[Golden Pyramid]] and Tamazi sept in Mareave
* [[Set my lands in order]] - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune about the issues affecting the territory
* [[Digging for fire]] - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune about the [[Golden Pyramid|Golden Pyramid's]] investigation in the territory
* [[Into the spin]] – 386YE Spring wind of fortune summarising the situation in Mareave
* [[Sea-wood fed with copper]] - 386YE Spring Wind of War about the conquest of Mareave
* [[Between stone and salt]] - 385YE Winter Wind of War concerning the invasion of Mareave
* [[Mareave and Urizen]] - Historical research document concerning the history of Mareave from an Imperial perspective

Mareave

2026-08-13T13:55:51Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Lighthouse of Icarion (Destroyed) */

<div style="float: left; max-width: 400px; margin-right: 10px;">{{HoverImage|Mareave.png|400x400px}}</div>
==Overview==
Mareave is part of the Broken Shore, conquered by the Empire at the start of 386YE and assigned to the Imperial Orcs the same season. It borders [[Spiral]], [[Ayereed]] and an unknown territory of Skoura. It has much more in common with the coast of [[Spiral]] and [[Redoubt]] than that of Attar; there are comparatively few natural harbours here, and the coastline is both rocky and raised into steep cliffs. Like the rest of the Broken Shore, it is warm and dry with little in the way of large-scale vegetation.

The largest settlement is the town of Beoraidh; which also serves as the only substantial port in the territory, and is the location of Lord Ehsan's Palace of Chains.

==Economics==
* '''All mine personal resources in Mareave produce 30 additional rings each season'''
Many of the Imperial Orcs have something of a cultural taboo against working mines, but that's not the case for the orcs of Mareave. The [[Golden Pyramid]] discovered that there are many fine quality mines in Mareave. A methodical approach from a dozen Urizen, Varushkan, and League magicians tracks any number of good quality delves in the mountains that ring Mareave to the north and east. Some of them are already in the hands of orcs who remain in the territory, others have been abandoned.

The mountains here are rich in gold, silver and copper as well as the magical metals. Using the list of mine workings [[Digging_for_fire#Precious_Mines|identified by the Golden Pyramid]], any Imperial Orc who operates a [[mine]] in the territory will find that they receive an additional thirty rings each season, representing money earned by selling any precious metals recovered. They're free to roleplay that they have established a mine of their own; that they pay the local orcs to work it for them; or that the money they receive is gained by offering protection to the people who do the actual mining.

==Recent History==
At some point in the distant past, the territory of Mareave was known as ''Mahal'', named by the human settlers who drove out the [[orc|orcs]] that had previously lived there. These were not members of any Imperial nation; they were the ancestors of the [[Skoura|Skouran]] people. There is [[Mareave and Urizen|some evidence]] of a handful of [[Urizen]] [[spire|spires]] in the north but no indication the territory was ever made part of that nation even in pre-Imperial times. Eventually, the orcs reconquered the land and drove them into the mountains to the east. Much of this history can be found in the ''[[Mareave and Urizen]]'' [[historical research]] document published in late 385YE.

The territory has long been the seat of one of the Salt Lords - the rulers of [[Grendel]] society, who ruled from the city of [[#Beoraidh|Beoraidh]], itself built on the ruins of a much older city. The armies that [[Spiral#Recent_History|invaded Spiral]] in 331YE came north through Mareave, through the [[Spiral#The_Passes|Apulian Gate]] that is the only reliable way to move large numbers of troops between the Broken Shore and the Empire.

In 381YE, the [[Senate]] took advantage of an [[opportunity]] to [[Map_the_Bay_of_Catazar|send Imperial captains]] to [[Talking_sailor#Map_the_Bay|map the Bay of Catazar]]. Thanks to the [[How_sweet_is_the_sea#Mapping_the_Bay|enthusiasm of the Empire's mariners]], the first reliable modern map of the [[Bay of Catazar]] was produced. This included details of [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|Attar and the Broken Shore]] - including a [[Bay_of_Catazar#Mareave|first look]] at the coast of Mareave. This was later followed by a [[Construct_Spy_Network_in_Mareave|more extensive survey]] in 385YE.

Ultimately, the map led to a raid against the city of Beoraidh following the Winter Solstice 382YE. An incredible number of Imperial [[fleet|ships]] and [[military unit|soldiers]] launched a [[383YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Mission|surprise attack]] against the city, inflicting significant damage and liberating a large number of both slaves and soldiers who had been press-ganged by the Grendel. These orcs would form the foundation of the [[Sannite]] sept of the [[Imperial Orcs]].

After the Autumn Equinox 385YE, and the end of the [[Ratify treaty with the Grendel Autumn 383YE|two year peace treaty]] with the orcs of the Broken Shore, four [[Army|Imperial armies]] passed through the Apulian Way to launch the first serious attempt to [[Between_stone_and_salt|conquer the territory of Mareave]]. They faced only token resistance, with the bulk of the Grendel forces being [[A beacon of smoke|engaged in their own attack]] on the other side of the Bay. The four armies conquered [[#Icarion|Icarion]] and [[#Nadir|Nadir]], and following a [[Between_stone_and_salt#Politics_of_Mareave_(Battle)|major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate]] during the Winter Solstice, they secured their hold on [[#Eoradal|Eoradal]] as well.

The Grendel responded by reinforcing the (somewhat disorganised) defence mounted by Salt Lord Ehsan and the Brine Turtles, but it was not enough. Imperial armies pushed south, [[Sea-wood fed with copper|capturing the wealthy region]] of [[#Clisearn|Clisearn]] and the mines of [[#Fundindelve|Fundindelve]]. By the start of the new year 386YE, the Empire had control of the territory - although that control was by no means secure. Shortly before the Spring Equinox, the (former) Salt Lord of Beoraidh sent a [[Sea-wood_fed_with_copper#Warp_and_Weft|delegation]] to speak to the leaders of the Imperial armies with a number of unexpected offers contingent upon the Imperial Senate recognising him and his people as foreigners distinct from the rest of the Grendel.

==Points of Interest==
===Beoraidh===
The port of Beoraidh is the only major coastal settlement in Mareave. Built on a relatively accessible part of the shoreline, the town always appears to be in danger of being washed away. Much work has been done to rebuild the town in the years since the raid, though clearly, most resources have gone towards the shipyard that commands the docks. When Mareave became part of the Empire, the former [[Grendel]] Salt-lord Ehsan negotiated to keep the city, and the region of [[#Sinfoyard|Sinfoyard]] independent. Through careful maneuvering, Ehsan also arranged a neutrality pact with his former Salt Lords, allowing Beoraidh to become effectively an independent city-state on the coast of Mareave. So far they have declined to become involved in fighting between Grendel and Imperial forces in the territory.

In Autumn 387YE, this arrangement went further when the [[Sarcophan Delves]] announced they were engaged in treaty negotiations with Beoraidh with an eye towards it becoming a [[All_the_night-tide#Beoraidh|defacto protectorate]] of that great nation. It seems that the ambitions of the Delves, and those of Ehsan, are aligned toward seeing the city become a valuable trade hub on the [[Bay of Catazar]].

===[[Fundindelve]]===
In northern Clisearn, deep in the mountains near the Ohwinn river, is a large village built around a wide opening cut deep into one of the mountains. This is Fundindelve; a mine with ready access to abundant veins of mithril that lie beneath Mount Finnoderi.

Fundindelve is an Imperial [[Bourse|Bourse position]] which produces 24 wains of mithril each season. Control of Fundindelve is assigned by open auction at the Autumn Equinox each year.
===Rucraic's Redoubt===
Once called ''Rucraic's Aeria'', this old Grendel fortification was [[Sea-wood_fed_with_copper#Ripples_in_the_Water|captured]] by the [[Seventh Wave]] during the Imperial campaign to conquer Mareave. It was renamed [[Fortify_Ruicraic%27s_Redoubt|extensively redesigned]] following proposals [[We_all_stand#Storm_Lords_Sentinel|drawn up]] by [[Tamazi]] engineers, and renamed ''Rucraic's Redoubt''. Both names reference the Grendel (and [[Sannite]]) ancestor, [[Grendel_religion#Rucraic_-_The_Storm_Lord|Rucraic the Storm Lord]].

The [[fortification#Bastion|bastion]] not only defends the base of the great aqueduct in [[Mareave#Eoradal|Eoradal]], but it could also serve as an [[embassy]] to [[Skoura]] - should the mountain-folk accept the existance of an embassy as a good idea.

The fortification also went some way toward reassuring the cynical orcs of northern Mareave - especially the ''Uthni'' family - that the Imperial Orcs were here to stay. The [[fortification#garrison|garrison]] is mostly composed of a mix of Sannite and Tamazi warriors, but since early 388YE it has received increasing support from the independent orcs of the region as well.

===Palace of Chains===
To the south-east of the town of Beoraidh, the Palace of Chains squats over the river; controlling access between the north and south of the territory. A series of watchtowers run eastwards, into the mountains. The inner buildings of the fortification are used by Lord Ehsan; with marble walls that have high windows that open to allow a breeze. The city is effectively protected by a fortification of strength 6,000.
===Great Aqueduct===
The Great Aqueduct of Eoradal is a massive construction of [[white granite]] that links arid Eoradal with the mountains of [[Skoura]]. It was built around the remnants of an old aqueduct and irrigation system originally created when Mareave was under the control of Skouran ancestors, but fell into disuse and ruin when the Grendel seized the territory. Work on the rejuvenated structure was completed shortly before the Summer Solstice 387YE. A diplomatic agreement was reached whereby the Empire would [[Million_miles_of_water#The_Eoradal_Tunnels|purchase access to the Skouran aquifers]] high in the mountains, providing eastern Mareave with a seemingly endless supply of fresh water. Now, the aqueduct supports not only farming in the region, but with completion of [[Spiral#Curstag's_Way|Curstag's Way]] - a road linking Mareave to the wider Empire - the establishment of a sizable new settlement at Eoradal.

===The Apulian Way===
The Apulian Way links Icarion with [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulus]] in Spiral. This "pass" runs through the foothill, along the coast of the Bay of Catazar, and was widened during the peace treaty to allow Grendel caravans carrying white granite into the Spiral from the Broken Shore.

===The Twinned Trading Posts===
The Twinned Trading Posts, in Sinfoyard and Icarion respectively, were [[Construct Beoraidh Trading Post|built]] shortly after the Spring Equinox 388YE, following a [[A_knock_at_the_door#Salt_and_Beef|proposal]] put forward by ''Rubhart Kaltrin'', as the Ambassador to the Empire. The trading posts encourage the trade of salt and ores from Beoraidh for salt beef, tallow, and other cattle-based products from the [[Shepherd_of_the_Southern_Herd|southern herd]] and beyond.
{{anchor|Lighthouse of Icarion}}
===Lighthouse of Icarion (Destroyed)===
[[#Icarion|Icarion]] was the site of several ruins dating back to the days when [[Urizen]] held part of Mareave. The cliff-top buildings were clearly built in the Urizen style, but were at one point converted for use by the Grendel. The Lighthouse at Icarion was the largest and most striking of these ruins - a small settlement built around a seven-sided lighthouse constructed with [[white granite]], topped by a globe of [[tempest jade]]. There was no light shining from the globe - the lightstone was presumably lost long ago.

The Lighthouse of Icarion was, unfortunately, the most prominent casualty of [[Spring magic]] unleashed in Mareave following the Summer Solstice 388YE. Along with ruins across the territory, it was [[A_wizard_did_it#Rains_in_Mareave|unmade]] by a wave of fertility and fecundity. All that remains of the lighthouse and its settlement are a few piles of rubble overgrown with orange flowers and scrubby grass.
{{anchor|Blood River Colossi}}

===Blood River Colossi (Destroyed)===
Two giant statues once stood on the coast facing the sea, each about fifty feet tall. The weathered statues depicted humanoid figures with human faces and the remnants of what might have once been a spear of a staff. They flanked a waterfall that cascades into the Bay of Catazar with dark red-brown polluted water. The rising water level had eroded the left foot of the northern statue, putting it at risk of falling to the sea. Despite their condition, the statues remained an impressive sight.

All this changed during the Winter Solstice 387YE. The [[Grendel]] used awful [[Winter magic]] to cause the Blood River Colossi to crumble and collapse, [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|accelerating]] the natural process of erosion using a relic called the ''Hawser of the Drowned''. The impact of the magic was far-reaching - destruction spread from the Colossi along the coast, bringing down the high cliffs that had once protected [[#Fleisardh|Fleisardh]] from the sea and providing southern Mareave with an entirely new [[Region_qualities#Coastal|coastline]].

==Regions==
===Icarion===
'''Quality:''' Hills<br>
The hills of [[Spiral#Apulus|Apulus]] extend down into Icarion and dominate the region. Icarion, like Nadir to the east, is sparsely populated - beyond a handful of mining settlements there are a few small camps making full use of the neglected ruins of the [[Mareave_and_Urizen#Before_the_Empire|former spires]] of Urizen. The mining settlements deliver wagons of iron and copper, along with crates of [[orichalcum]] and [[green iron]] down to the town of Aghnayadh in Sinfoyard.

After the Spring Equinox 388YE, a wave of [[Spring magic]] washed across Mareave, apparently created by a confluence of a [[Rivers of Life|curse]] and the ongoing [[Things go awry|magical chaos]] related in some fashion to the [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] [[astronomancy#Constellations|constellations]]. The magic wreaked havoc on the ruins of Icarion, causing them to be enshrouded with plants that ultimately tore them apart. By the time of the Summer Solstice, evidence of Urizen, Skouran, and Grendel habitation here was reduced to piles of rubble, scrubby grass, and scattered orange flowers.

===Nadir===
'''Quality:''' Hills<br>
Much like [[#Icarion|Icarion]], the hills of Spiral continue into Nadir. The region is even less populated than Icarion to the west; there is only one village of note, Rathmonna, nestled in a lee near the mountains of [[Mountains_of_the_Moon#Borenj|Borenj]]. Rathmonna has low walls, nothing close to a [[fortification]], but serves well enough to protect the inhabitants from the packs of [[Mundane_beasts#Drakes|drakes]] that infest the area but that provide an industry for the high-risk and high-reward profession of hunter. The high mountains to the north and east are impassable; there is no access to either the Mountains of the Moon nor Skoura from Nadir.

The [[Shepherd of the Southern Herd|southern herd]] was established as part of the [[Million_miles_of_water#The_Cattle_Markets|Great Beef Market of '87]], which saw hundreds of heads of cattle purchased from across the Marches and [[High_hopes#The_Southern_Herd|drove]] across the Empire.

===Eoradal===
'''Qualities:''' Hills, Ruins, Foreigners (Uthni)<br>
Eoradal is a region of gentle foothills that slowly rise the further eastwards; the great mountains that are the border to Skoura continue southwards and dominate the horizon. There are ruins here in a style reminiscent of the [[Mountains_of_the_Moon#Zanaeti_Tunnels_and_the_Skouran_Embassy|Skouran embassy]] in the Mountains of the Moon - clearly they are all that remains of the [[Skoura|Skourans]] that held the region hundreds of years ago. The ruins are clustered around the border to Skoura and lead deeper into the mountains. The [[#Great_Aqueduct|Great Aqueduct]] that provides water and irrigation to the depths of the arid region has also helped support the founding of a new settlement amid the ruins of the old town of Eoradal, a settlement that now grows larger every day. It's likely that the industry that accompanied this growth is one reason that many of the ruins of central Eoradal survived the Spring magic that swept away the remnants of Icarion and Naris - supernatual vegetation was cleared before it could take hold - but outside of the are around the aqueduct and Rucarion's Redoubt, there are no significant ruins left in Eoradal.

Prior to the Imperial invasion the folk of Eoradal were mostly orcs who did well out of offering service to the Grendel. Though they were rewarded with land and privileges for serving the Salt Lords, for the most part they had little actual ''affection'' for them. The main problem faced by the Imperial Orcs was that the Eoradal families expected the Salt Lords to return at any moment, and anticipated both great rewards for staying “true” to their former masters' ([[Grendel_religion#Fidelity|Fidelity]]), and punishment if they threw their lot in with the Empire too readily ([[Grendel_religion#Retribution|Retribution]]). Foremost among the Eoradal orcs resisting the Empire were the ''Uthni'', a widely extended family native to Eoradal who claim a strong connection to the Grendel ancestor [[Grendel_religion#Rucraic_-_The_Storm_Lord|Rucraic the Storm Lord]].

The orc families of Eoradal, and the Uthni in particular, are close in temperament to the [[Sannite]] sept, but motivated by a belief that the conquest of Mareave by the Empire will prove as temporary as the Grendel conquest of Spiral has always been. They view the Imperial Orcs' presence as a disruption of the normal order of things that should soon be over, their opposition mostly grounded in a belief that it will earn them favour with the Salt Lords when they inevitably return – and because they just don't see any long-term advantage to cooperating. The cynicism of the orcs of Eoradal is discussed in more detail in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Cynicism|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

===Sinfoyard===
'''Quality:''' Beoraidh<br>
The coastline of Sinfoyard is rocky, which abruptly leads to steep cliffs that stand tall against the waves of the [[Bay of Catazar]]. The region is barren, even more so than the rest of the territory, but is heavily populated due to the salt mines of Lord Ehsan. Near the salt mine is the sprawling town of Aghnayadh; home to warehouses filled with ore from the northern regions and destined for further south, and with accommodation for those desperate enough to work the salt mines.

===Beoraidh===
'''Qualities:''' City, Coastal, Beoraidh <br>
Beoraidh is the most densely populated of all the regions in Mareave. It houses the town that shares its [[#Beoraidh|name]] with the region, the [[fortification|fortified]] [[#Palace of Chains|Palace of Chains]] that straddles the ''Ohwinn'' river before it meets the sea, and the [[shipyard]] to the south of the port. The walled headquarters and warehouses of the North Mareave Trading Consortium are located slightly to the north of the port.

===Clisearn===
'''Quality:''' Hills, Recalcitrant Inhabitants<br>
The hills of Clisearn are similar to those found in [[#Eoradal|Eoradal]]; low foothills that lead into the imposing mountains to the east. The key difference is the sheer amount of wealth found in this region. The family of Lord Ehsan once resided here in extensive villas rather than in the Palace of Chains or the dilapidated port town of Beoraidh. The ''Ohwinn'' river starts in the hills, not far from the Fundindelve. There was once a small garrison of [[Elite_Grendel_troops#The_Stone_Born|Stone Born]] who guarded both the mine and the villas of Ehsan.
<div style="float: right; max-width: 250px; margin-right: 10px;">
{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Lodge of Golden Pyramid.jpg|align=right|caption=The Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid stands as an example of Imperial wealth|title=Art by Anastasiya Lukashovna Volkov|width=250}}</div>
The main problem facing the Empire here was that under Grendel domination these people were important, wealthy, and felt privileged. Thanks to the abundance of water, they controlled rich farms and beautiful gardens. When Imperial forces took Mareave, many of the orcs who remained here were wealthy Grendel: valued miners and engineers, privileged artisans and magicians, rich landowners or farmers. A number retreated to Beoraidh, or fled the territory entirely, and those who remained looked forward to the return of the Grendel because they saw it as the only way to restore their lost prestige. They did not oppose the Imperial Orcs directly but took every opportunity to undermine their control of Mareave. The core of the opposition was centred around the leaders of three rival families, forced to work together by the conquest of the territory. The ''Adahr'', ''Marr'', and ''Tholdie'' were are no friends to Salt Lord Ehsan and for whatever reasons they remain unwilling to join Ehsan's new city state.

Their resentment was addressed in part through the establishment of the [[Golden Pyramid#Grand Lodge|Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid]] in Clisearn, but they remain suspicious of the Imperial Orcs, jealously hoarding what little prestige they still enjoy. More information about the independent orcs of Clisearn can be found in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Selfishness|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

===Fleisardh===
'''Qualities:''' Coastal, Uncooperative, [[Region_qualities#Under_Threat|Under threat]] (Grendel)<br>
Fleisardh is the original home of the Brine Turtles, one of the [[Grendel_look_and_feel#Broken_Shores_Septs|major septs]] of the Broken Shore and the core of the army of the same name. Their town of Fioroult is built next to the lake that feeds the "''blood river''" and is sprawling and dangerous. The lake is fresh water, but there is something in the earth in eastern Mareave that rapidly makes the water undrinkable, tainting it with a crimson hue and making it splash sluggishly - like blood - into the Bay of Catazar. The Brine Turtles maintain a very public town watch but the town is large enough and filled with enough ramshackle dwellings that there are three times as many snickets as there are clear roads and every one of them is potentially deadly. There is a small and close-knit group of "''alleywalkers''" who serve a similar function to the [[Thief-taker|thief-takers]] of the Imperial Orcs. The [[#Blood_River_Colossi|Blood River Colossi]] stand as sentinels looking out over the Bay of Catazar.

The Brine Turtles dominate Fleisardh even while the region is under Imperial Control. For years, they were one of the two dominant forces in Mareave, rivalling the power of the Salt Lords of Beoraidh. Their warriors form the army of the same name and fight proudly under the banners of the Grendel. Indeed, they would be the group most likely to take up arms against the Empire... if not for the fact that most of the people able to wield those arms are ''already'' fighting the Empire.

The civilian leaders of the Brine Turtle are concentrated in and around the settlement of Fioroult and one of the few large sources of potable water in the region. As a sept, they are proud, comparatively powerful, and resentful. They control the borders between Mareave and the rest of the Broken Shore, and are keen to see the Imperial Orcs driven out. They are barely even prepared to ''talk'' to the Empire, let alone help it move through their arid lands or share their resources with it. More details of the Brine Turtles can be found in the '''[[Here_to_stay#Shells|Here to stay]]''' wind of fortune.

Shortly after the Winter Solstice 387YE, the cliffs of Fleisardh were brought down by the ''Haulers of the Tide'', a [[Winter magic|Salt]] coven from Attar, using the boon of the [[Scarlet_sands#Battle_Opportunity:_Rocks_Fall|Sunken Rope]].
{{CaptionedImage|file=Pathfinder Gaddak.jpg|caption='''Pathfinder Gaddak''', Senator for Mareave|align=left|width=300}}
{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mareave|Territory=Mareave|Season=Spring}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Winter Solstice 387YE, the city-state of Beoraidh controls Beoraidh and Sinfoyard, and the Grendel control Fleisardh. The Imperial Orcs, and thus the Empire, control the rest of the territory.
* The Senator for Mareave receives a seasonal income of ten crowns in "gifts" and open bribes from the orcs of Beoraidh as per the '''[[Set_my_lands_in_order#Smoothing_the_Hard_Edges|Set my lands in order]]''' wind of fortune
* Ruicraic's Redoubt is a rank one [[fortification]] in Eoradal
* [[#Palace of Chains|The Palace of Chains]] is a rank one fortification with a particularly strong [[fortification#bastion|bastion]] in Beoraidh
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce an additional 36 rings each season
* [[mana site|Mana sites]] in the territory benefit from the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce an additional mana crystal each season
* [[Mine|Mines]] in the territory benefit from the wealth of the northern hills and the Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid and produce 30 rings and two extra ingots each season.
* The [[#Grand Aqueduct|Grand Aqueduct]] removes the ''arid'' quality from the region of Eoradal
* The [[Shepherd of the Southern Herd|Southern Herd]] removes the ''arid'' quality from the region of Nadir
* The Icarion Qanat removes the ''arid'' quality from Icarion
* [[Spiral#Curstag's Way|Curstag's Way]] in [[Spiral]] removes the ''under developed'' quality from the region of Icarion
[[Category:Imperial Orcs]][[Category:Gazetteer]][[Category:Imperial_Territory]][[Category:Grendel]]

==Further Reading==
* [[A_wizard_did_it#Rains_in_Mareave|A wizard did it]] - 388YE Summer wind of fortune relating to Spring magic in Mareave
* [[Mithril and rope]] - 388YE Summer wind of war regarding further clashes over Clisearn
* [[Wide azure skies]] - 388YE Spring wind of war detailing the renewed Grendel efforts into Clisearn
* [[Scarlet sands]] - 387YE Winter wind of war detailing the Imperial retaliation against the Grendel invasion
* [[Lines of care and sorrow]] - 387YE Autumn wind of war detailing the Grendel invasion of Mareave
* [[Million miles of water]] - 386YE Winter Wind of Fortune about steps that can be taken to remove the arid quality
* [[Here to stay]] - 386YE Autumn wind of fortune detailing the appraisal to encourage the southern orcs to be more cooperative
* [[We all stand]] - 386YE Autumn wind of fortune detailing opportunities presented by the [[Golden Pyramid]] and Tamazi sept in Mareave
* [[Set my lands in order]] - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune about the issues affecting the territory
* [[Digging for fire]] - 386YE Summer Wind of Fortune about the [[Golden Pyramid|Golden Pyramid's]] investigation in the territory
* [[Into the spin]] – 386YE Spring wind of fortune summarising the situation in Mareave
* [[Sea-wood fed with copper]] - 386YE Spring Wind of War about the conquest of Mareave
* [[Between stone and salt]] - 385YE Winter Wind of War concerning the invasion of Mareave
* [[Mareave and Urizen]] - Historical research document concerning the history of Mareave from an Imperial perspective

Interdiction

2026-08-13T11:57:31Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Interdicted Items */

[[Category:Conclave]]
==Overview==
The Conclave may censor specific rituals, items, or materials that they believe represent a significant magical danger to the Empire. The Declaration of Interdiction informs the magistrates, and the citizens of the Empire, that a certain form of magic is now [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_against_the_Processes_of_the_State|illegal]]. The magistrates ensure that everyone knows the Conclave's decision, and actively set about locating and dealing with the proscribed items. The exact effect of a Declaration of Interdiction varies depending on the kind of magic involved. Most commonly it makes a ritual illegal to perform, or a [[magic items|magic item]] illegal to own or create.

The Declaration of [[Alignment]] can indirectly act as a Declaration of Interdiction. While an [[eternal]] is declared [[Alignment#Enmity|an enemy]] of the Empire, it becomes illegal to perform rituals connected to that eternal, or to own magic items or substances created by that eternal or their heralds.

Over the last few years, the magistrates were sometimes instructed by the Conclave to secure items placed under interdiction rather than destroy them. The Constitutional Court has investigated this behaviour and ruled that it is not in keeping with the letter or spirit of interdiction. When something is illegal in the Empire, it is excised not stored for later use. As a consequence, the practice of storing interdicted items in the "Conclave Vaults" has been discontinued.

The Declaration of Interdiction is also used to rescind a previously placed interdiction, a practice sometimes referred to as a ''Declaration of License''.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Without Mercy.jpg|align=right|caption=''Interdiction'' allows the Conclave to proscribe magical practices, rituals, items, and materials.|width=500}}</div>
The [[Imperial Censor]] is empowered to raise a Declaration of Interdiction once each summit.

==Necessary Details==
* '''The Declaration must explicitly name the specific ritual, item, material or magical practice to be interdicted'''
The specific ritual, item, material, or magical practice must be explicitly named in the Declaration. This is straightforward when a named ritual or magic item is involved, but may sometimes require interpretation by the magistrates, especially where a magical practice (such as ''the cultivation of vallorn'') is involved. Where necessary, the magistrates may seek advice from an appropriate member of the Conclave to determine exactly what does, and does not, constitute a named practice if the Declaration is not specific.

==Resolution==
The effects of Interdiction vary depending on what is interdicted.
===Ritual===
* '''An interdicted ritual is illegal for anyone in the Empire to cast'''
* '''Magistrates will seek to destroy the ritual text of an interdicted ritual that is not part of Imperial Lore'''
* '''Any ritual or arcane projection that effectively creates the same magical effect is covered by the interdiction'''
* '''Interdiction covers all uses of a ritual - it is not possible to only interdict the use of a ritual for a specific purpose'''

The most common use of the Declaration of Interdiction is to proscribe the performance of ritual magic. The Declaration of [[Imperial lore]] specifies that a ritual be made available to every Imperial magician, and interdiction cannot remove a ritual from Imperial lore. When such a ritual is interdicted, it becomes illegal to perform that ritual. Ritual texts are not seized or destroyed, and it is not illegal to possess one, nor to use one to learn or teach the ritual. Only the performance is illegal.

A ritual that is ''not'' part of Imperial Lore is treated more severely. It is illegal to perform the ritual, as well as to learn or teach it. Ritual texts of that ritual will be seized and destroyed by the magistrates. It is never illegal to ''know'' a ritual, unless the magistrates determine that someone is clearly intending to perform the ritual or spread that knowledge in which case they may require the use of effects such as [[Infant Starts with a Blank Slate]] to remove their capability to do so.
<div style="float:right; width: 50%; max-width: 500px; clear: right;"><box><big>Urizen Lore</big><br>[[Urizen lore]] is a relatively new concept, having been established only recently. As such it was not entirely clear whether rituals that are part of Urizen Lore should be treated as if they were part of Imperial Lore by the magistrates. Pending guidance from the Imperial Conclave on the matter, the magistrates would have to treat interdiction against rituals that are part of Urizen Lore as if they were non-Imperial in nature. This presented a problem as the ritual texts detailing those rituals are held in the [[Morrow#Grand_Library_of_Canterspire|Grand Library of Canterspire]] in [[Morrow]], and attempts by the magistrates to enter the library and destroy any ritual texts held there would likely precipitate immediate conflict with the eternal [[Phaleron]]. The magistrates requested that the Imperial Conclave determine how they should treat rituals that are part of Urizen Lore but subject to interdiction.<br><br>During the Autumn Equinox 384YE, the Conclave [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Concord:_Imperial_law_and_Urizen_lore|provided that guidance]]. Henceforth, they would be treated as if they were part of Imperial lore: illegal to cast, but not to learn or teach. Ritual texts should not be seized or destroyed, whether from the Grand Library of Canterspire or elsewhere</box></div>
It is important to note that it is the specific effect created by the ritual that is interdicted. Using an [[arcane projection]] to substantially duplicate a ritual that is subject to interdiction is considered the same as performing the illegal magic, as is using a ritual that has the same effect but a different name - for example, a Jarmish ritual that duplicates the effect of [[Clarity of the Master Strategist]] is covered by an interdiction of the ritual by its better-known Imperial name.

Interdiction by its nature covers ''all'' uses of a ritual. In the past the Conclave has passed specific interdictions to prevent the use of a ritual to do damage to the Imperial regio. Although these were not caught by the Constitutional Court at the time, they have published guidance that attempts to interdict the use of a ritual in specific way will not pass [[scrutiny]] by the Constitutional Court.

===Magic Item or Material===
* '''It is illegal to own, make or bond an interdicted magic item'''
* '''The magistrates will destroy the magical item or items where they can'''
When a [[magic items|magic item]] or material is interdicted, it becomes illegal to own, craft, or [[create bond|bond]] someone to that item. If the item in question is identified, it is destroyed by the magistrates as efficiently as possible. In the case of an item connected to an eternal under [[alignment#Enmity|enmity]], the magistrates may use rituals such as [[Hand of the Maker]] to determine if an item has been crafted by the entity or its known servants. It is not illegal to own an item that came from an eternal under enmity but was not explicitly made by them, unless it can be proved it somehow draws on their power (in the same way that a ritual might).

These same prohibitions apply to potions, drugs, consumable items such as [[vis]] and the like, in the event they are interdicted.

===Responsibilities===
* '''Citizens are legally responsible for any interdicted items in their possession'''
It is the legal responsibility of ever Imperial citizen to promptly hand over items or ritual texts that have been interdicted so that they can be destroyed. Failure to do so can be prosecuted as with any other crime involving the knowing possession of illegal items.

==License==
* '''The Declaration can be used to remove an existing interdiction'''

It is possible for the Conclave to rescind a previous Declaration of Interdiction. Commonly referred to as a ''Declaration of License'', the Conclave instructs the magistrates that something previously interdicted is no longer proscribed. When the Declaration comes into effect, the magistrates will ensure Imperial citizens are aware, and it will no longer be illegal to perform the magic, own the magic item and so forth. However, the magistrates may still continue to investigate and prosecute crimes that took place while the item was illegal, at their discretion.

===Scrutiny===
* '''A Declaration of Interdiction that exceeds the Constitutional remit of the Conclave will be struck down by the Constitutional Court'''

Because Interdiction has significant legal ramifications it is subject to the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional_Court|scrutiny of the Constitutional Court]], just as the motions of the Imperial Senate that create new laws or legal titles are. Interdictions of a named ritual, magical item, potion or similar are usually straightforward and do not require any significant consideration by the Court. Attempts to interdict magical practices are examined more carefully by the Court to ensure that it does not violate the terms of the [[Imperial Constitution]], either by over-reaching the powers of the Conclave or by violating the rights guaranteed to citizens. If the Court find that a Declaration of Interdiction is not compatible with the Constitution they will strike it down - at which point the Declaration is null and void.

A Declaration of Interdiction will only fail scrutiny if it exceeds the remit of the Conclave defined as matters of magic. Magical items and apothecaries potions are not considered to be the exclusive remit of the Conclave - but they are usually treated as a shared responsibility of the Senate and the Conclave. As a result the interdiction of a potion or magical item passes scrutiny. However trade in mundane items or the materials used to make potions or magical items is not covered - attempts to interdict [[herb|herbs]], magical materials, or mana crystals would fail, as would attempts to interdict common trade goods such as rare wines or exotic flowers (unless such items had clear magical properties).

==Remorse==
* '''The Imperial Senate has declined to take up an opportunity to grant Conclave the power to remove a ritual from Imperial Lore'''
In recent times, people have queried if a ritual might be removed from Imperial lore. In theory there is no legal mechanism by which such a thing might be accomplished, but ''Harry Archer'', an enterprising [[thresher]] from [[Mitwold]] [[All_along_the_watchtower#Lore|recently]] proposed an option. The [[Conclave]] could interdict a ritual text - and they could give instruction for the thing they interdict to be destroyed. This declaration is usually applied to an item - or a small class of items - but Harry points out that in theory the Conclave might choose to interdict every single known copy of a ritual text - giving orders for them to be destroyed. If that were done - then the effect would be identical to if the ritual had never been added to lore. It wouldn't prevent people from performing the ritual if they had already mastered it - but that mastery would end with them.

While there is no fundamental constitutional bar to this approach, it is not consistent with the current law. While interdicted magic items or materials should be handed in promptly to the civil service this has not applied to interdicted rituals that are part of Imperial Lore, which are simply illegal to perform. Magistrates advised that a change to the law (requiring the intervention of the [[Senate]]) would be required to create a new Conclave power to accomplish this. They warn that it would be expensive - they calculate it would cost 25 thrones per named ritual to seek out and destroy every copy of each of those ritual texts in the Empire. It has been impishly suggested that this power could be called a ''Declaration of Remorse''.

==Interdicted Items==
The Conclave has interdicted the following as of the start of Winter Solstice 387YE. This table does ''not'' include magic that has been interdicted as a result of a [[Alignment|Declaration of Alignment]].
<table class="wikitable sortable">
<tr><th>Subject</th><th>Nature</th><th>Declaration By</th><th>Date</th></tr>
<tr><td>Wisdom Beyond This Cycle</td><td>Ritual</td><td>Eduardo i Otoño i Guerra</td><td>[[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Wisdom_Beyond_This_Cycle|388YE Spring]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>The Hardest Choice</td><td>Ritual</td><td>Fausta Ankarien</td><td>[[387YE_Autumn Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_The_Hardest_Choice|387YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[The_moth_for_the_star#The_People's_Claw|Shedding blood for Claw spells]]</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Guineve du Couronne</td><td>[[387YE_Autumn Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Shedding_Blood_for_Claw_Spells|387YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Keen Lifeblood</td><td>Potion</td><td>Gaius Starfall i Riqueza</td><td>[[387YE_Autumn Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Keen_Lifeblood|387YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Mad Flat One</td><td>Ritual</td><td>Elagabala</td><td>[[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Mad_Flat_One|387YE Summer]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Creating Hollow Ones</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Skywise Gralka</td><td>[[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Hollowing|387YE Summer]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Stars_and_sigils#Red_in_Tooth_and_Claw|Drawing on the Claw to empower the casting of rituals by shedding blood]]</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Lights Aliss</td><td>[[387YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Shedding_Blood_for_Claw_Rituals|387YE Spring]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Yellow Lotus</td><td>Potion</td><td>Gaius Starfall i Riqueza</td><td>[[387YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Interdict_Yellow_Lotus|387YE Spring]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Shadowcrow Infusion]]</td><td>Potion</td><td>Gaius Starfall i Riqueza</td><td>[[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Shadowcrow_Infusion|386YE Winter]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Umbar's Exquisite Visage</td><td>Ritual</td><td>Cassandra i Periera i Erigo</td><td>[[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Umber's_Exquisite_Visage|386YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Creation of mana reservoirs</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Gardener Lask</td><td>[[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Mana_Reservoirs|386YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Enchantment|Enchanting]] armies to make them [[Hierarchs_of_sea_and_sky#The_Key_of_Commitment|savage]] </td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Ashborn Trosk</td><td>[[385YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction_:_Savagery_of_Armies|385YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Wind of Mundane Silence]] on the [[Regio|Imperial Regio]]</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>Bacauda Netherwatch</td><td>[[384YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Silencing_the_Regio|384YE Summer]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[The Certainty of Doubt]]</td><td>Ritual (Urizen Lore)</td><td>Rafael Barossa di Tasssato</td><td>[[384YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Certainty_of_Doubt|384YE Summer]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Almery of Silence]]</td><td>Magic Item</td><td>Bacauda Netherwatch</td><td>[[384YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Almery_of_Silence|384YE Spring]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Shackle of the Unvirtuous]]</td><td>Magic Item</td><td>Brother Martin</td><td>[[383YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Shackle_of_the_Unvirtuous|383YE Winter]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Golden Hare Icon of Irra Harah</td><td>Magic Item</td><td>Ingar Ironbreaker</td><td>[[383YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction:_Golden_Hare_Icon_of_Irra_Harah|383YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[The Celestial Library]]</td><td>Ritual (Imperial Lore)</td><td>Skywise Gralka</td><td>[[382YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction_:_The_Celestial_Library|382YE Winter]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Recipe of the Two-Bladed Knife (refers to [[Double-sided Blade]])</td><td>Potion</td><td>Ingar Ironbreaker</td><td>[[382YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction|382YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Potion of Oakenshield (refers to [[Double-sided_Blade#Weakening Sun|Weakening Sun]])</td><td>Potion</td><td>Ingar Ironbreaker</td><td>[[382YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction|382YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>All items called the Hungry Key</td><td>Magic item</td><td>Abel</td><td>[[382YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Interdiction|382YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Rivers Run Red]]</td><td>Ritual (Imperial Lore)</td><td>Alcuin Shatterspire</td><td>[[381YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions|381YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Mountain Remembers Its Youth]]</td><td>Ritual (Imperial Lore)</td><td>Helios Bitter Chalice</td><td>[[381YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions|381YE Autumn]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Vallorn seeds</td><td>Magic Item ?</td><td>? </td><td> ?</td></tr>
<tr><td>[[Align the Celestial Net]] on the [[Regio|Imperial Regio]]</td><td>Magical Practice</td><td>?</td><td>Historical</td></tr>
</table>

{{Conclave further reading}}

Feni

2026-08-12T14:42:42Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Strange Interactions */

==Overview==
The Feni are human barbarians most commonly encountered in wild places of the [[The Marches|Marches]] and occasionally other parts of the north-western Empire, primarily [[Hahnmark]]. They lived in much of the area that is now the Marches since before the first Marchers [[The_Marches_history#The_creation_of_the_Marches|arrived in those lands]] and drove the [[orc|orcs]] out. [[#Origins of the Feni|History]] suggests that some of the Feni were once the subject people of the orcs who occupied this area. They seem to have a clannish structure, with individual groups of Feni being geographically and socially separated from others.

As of 384YE, the largest concentration of Feni in the Empire appears to be in [[Liathaven]], despite the territory labouring under a [[Wither the Seed|terrible curse]], and the presence of conquering [[Jotun]].

===Appearance===
The Feni dress primarily in leather and fur, and use spears and bows where they can get them and javelins where they cannot. They paint or tattoo their bodies with bands of colour and intricate spiral designs, almost always in muted greens and yellows. They make extensive use of camouflage, which makes it easy for them to hide and to attack from ambush.

===Culture and Customs===
The Feni are widely believed to disdain the trappings of civilisation. They mostly keep to themselves, but at semi-regular intervals they raid into parts of the Marches, southern [[Wintermark]] and the northern [[The Brass Coast|Brass Coast]]. These raids are primarily concerned with stealing goods and produce - they kill anyone who gets in their way, and anyone with a weapon or armour is fair game, but they do not go out of their way to murder non-combatants.

Sometimes the Feni are more destructive, killing every person in a village, and burning the place to the ground. Some circumstantial evidence suggests that they do this when they are launching revenge attacks against people they believe have wronged them in some serious way.

The Feni are skilled scouts who excel at hiding and attacking from ambush. They make regular use of herbal [[potion|potions]] and [[Potion#Poisons|poisons]], but they seem deficient in battlefield magic - few [[Magical skills#Magicians|magicians]] have ever been encountered among their number. Some scholars theorise this is less due to a lack of magicians, and more due to their magicians having responsibilities that prevent them taking part in raids.

For centuries it was assumed that the Feni had access to some magic that makes it hard to track them or locate their settlements, leading to speculation that each community had a number of ritualists specialized in the magic of [[Night magic|Night]], or that their settlements are built in areas that are naturally warded in some fashion. More recent revelations however have uncovered that Feni settlements appear to be built inside [[regio]] [[Regio#Portals_and_Chambers|chambers]] making them extremely hard to approach for anyone who does not know the secret of entering the chamber. Like all humans, they have at least a little [[lineage]]. There are reliable accounts of [[Draughir]] and [[Briar]] among their raiding groups. It is surprising that given their tendency to live inside powerfully magical areas, that they do not have ''more'' lineaged folk among their number.

They appear to have an absolute hatred for orcs. There have been numerous incidents where entire orc patrols have been encountered butchered and their corpses horribly mutilated, clearly the victims of the Feni. Unfortunately, they seem to lack either the ability or inclination to differentiate between the barbarian orcs and the [[Imperial Orcs]], and at least one legion of orcs has been lost to Feni while on manoeuvres in the northern Marches.

Their "primitive" appearance is highlighted by what seems to be a lack of indigenous metalwork - they use stolen weapons and armour when they can acquire it, but some have been encountered using bronze or even flint weapons. Items recovered from dead Feni, or occasionally thrown up for trade by peddlers, have been simple and functional, suggesting either that improvements in crafting techniques over the last six centuries have largely passed them by, or that they have cultural reasons for eschewing iron and steel work.

The common perception is that it is difficult to make peaceful contact with the Feni; while some [[The Marches military concerns#Beaters|beaters]] and itinerant merchants are able to arrange a meeting with one or two representatives of the Feni, they describe them as uncommunicative, suspicious, and uncooperative. Again, more recent developments - especially with regard to the large enclave in [[Mournwold#Alderly|Alderly]] in [[Mournwold]] - have suggested much closer, borderline friendly, ties between some Feni and their Marcher neighbours.

==Recent History==
In Summer 381YE, a giant [[Rocks and gravel|sinkhole opened up in the north-western Empire]]. While this caused problems for the Imperial citizens in [[Hahnmark]], [[Temeschwar]], [[Miaren]], and [[Upwold]]. More significantly impacted were a large number of Feni in the woodlands of [[Upwold#Birchland|Birchland]] and [[Hahnmark#Wood_Heath|Wood Heath]]. Their homes having fallen into the sinkhole, the Feni split into two groups forced to move across the Empire to find new homes. One group went south through Upwold into Mournwold - dubbed the "Woods that Fell" Feni - while the other went north through Hahnmark. Both groups picked up more Feni as they travelled, until they presented a significant problem for the western Empire.

The Wintermark group eventually moved out of Hahnmark into Hercynia, where they disappeared, most likely with the assistance of an [[eternal]]. The group in the Marches however gathered momentum as it moved south, After several pitched fights, they eventually [[Declare_Feni_group_to_be_foreigners|sued for peace]] and were allowed to leave the Mournwold for [[Liathaven]]. In the process, however, the Marches came into possession of instructions for how to find the settlement of the Feni living in the depths of [[Mournwold#Alderly|Alderly]]. In the lead up to the Winter Solstice 382YE, the [[Drakes]] used this information to [[382YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Rattle_of_the_Bones|destroy the Alderly enclave]].

It seems that the Feni are living more openly in Liathaven - despite the presence of a [[Wither the Seed|terrible curse]] over the territory - rather than hiding in [[regio]]. There are also reports of Feni from other settlements making their way to the former [[Navarr]] lands. [[Navarr]] activity in Liathaven - initially aimed at the Heirs of Terunael group - revealed more information about the situation in Liathaven with the [[Shimmerglisten|discovery of Hotter's Mire]] and an uneasy détente with the Empire. As on Autumn 384YE, however, the Jotun have once again [[No_Peace#Deep_Woods|invaded Liathaven]] and the Feni appear to have been scattered.

==Origins of the Feni==
In Winter 383YE, the [[Imperial Advisor for the Feni]], Watt of Lambrook, directed the [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|Department of Historical Research]] to "''Research the origins of the Feni people and their contact with or links to other contemporaneous peoples or civilisations''." What follows is the report provided by the Department.

===Foreword===
A lot of what we know about the Feni is based on speculation and hearsay. The Feni themselves have never been interested in cooperating with the Empire, for the most part they have kept their distance and cultivated a healthy distrust on both sides. Most of our information comes from the handful of Marcher folk who maintain close but covert ties with their reclusive neighbours.

The Feni are human barbarians most commonly encountered in the few remaining wild places of the Marches and occasionally other parts of the north-western Empire. They lived in much of the area that is now the Marches since before the first Marchers arrived in those lands and drove the orcs out. History suggests that some of the Feni were once the subject people of the orcs who occupied this area. They seem to have a clannish structure, with individual groups of Feni being geographically and socially separated from others.

===Grim Origins===
There is some evidence to suggest that the Feni predate the Terunael Empire, or at least that they existed at that time. There are several surviving documents from the Terunael period which strongly suggest that they conquered and subjugated the Feni, or at least some of them. The Feni refer to the coming of the vallorn as the ''"Rain That Washed The World Clean"'' and rather than seeing it as a disaster, they seem to view the event as a cause for celebration. That would certainly fit if they were enslaved by the Terunael.

It appears however the Terunael are not the only people who have oppressed the Feni. They are known to loathe orcs, especially the Jotun, but they have no affection for the Lasambrians, the Imperial Orcs, or any other orcs as far as anyone can tell. They are generally careful to avoid open battle with anyone, but they will ambush and kill orcs, any orcs, if they get an opportunity to attack with little losses. If asked they claim that the orcs were created by their enemies expressly to kill them, but then claim not to know who their "enemies" are.

There is some speculation that the Feni might be related in some way to the Gwerin Morfa, but given that they lived in what is today the Mallum, on the far side of the Empire, this seems to be unlikely.

The Marchers - the people who perhaps know them best - can only say that when they reached Upwold there were Feni there in the woods and wild places, hiding from the orcs. Likewise, the Winterfolk appear to have had little contact with them until around the time of the Steinr, following which there are references to "wild folk" in the hills of south-western Hahnmark.

The Feni are unwilling, or perhaps unable to provide further insight. They are known to keep no written records, and few of them can read or write. They claim to have no rich aural tradition to preserve memories and stories between generations instead they ''"give their songs to the gods"''. This is most likely to be a reference to some kind of crude ritual magic that allows them to create records of important memories they wish to preserve.

===Strange Interactions===
The Feni appear to have precious few contacts with other civilisations. As far as we know they eschew any contact with the orc nations to whom they are unremittingly hostile. They don't appear to share any borders with the Iron Confederacy, but it's hard to imagine the two people enjoying harmonious and positive relations. Indeed it's even possible that they have encountered the Suranni before and either been driven off or fled. However the presence of the Kahraman mountains appear to have formed an effective wall, it's notable that while the Marchers have extensive contacts with the Feni, the Freeborn don't. There have been some raids in northern Kahraman, but nothing further south, suggesting that the Feni are loathe to roam too far from what is today Marcher land.

There are isolated bands of Feni scattered across the Marches, and Wintermark, and of course there is (now) a large group in Liathaven, many of whom have moved there recently. Another group - the other part of the Woods that Fell - disappeared in Hercynia and it is likely they are still in hiding there, but there have been no report of raids. Indeed, the Feni seem to have surprisingly few contacts with the Navarr.

For the most part Imperial contact with the Feni has been hostile and involved roaming bands of Feni raiding outlaying settlements looking to take food, herbs, forest resources and other valuables. They are usually driven off by any show of stout resistance, they seem to avoid fights, but just occasionally they will put up unexpectedly stout resistance and nobody knows why. Those occasions can be dangerous, even deadly for their victims, especially if they have got into the habit of expecting the Feni to run at the first sight of trouble. This is not to say that every Feni enclave raids nearby settlements. Some can go for long periods of time without really interacting with their Imperial neighbours at all. Indeed there have been a few incidents over the last three hundred years where the first a Marcher household or Wintermark hall has known of their Feni neighbours has been an unexpected raid.

The only people they have much interaction with the Feni appear to be the Marchers. There are small groups of Feni in every territory in the Marches, usually dwelling the more inaccessible locations, where the land is unusually barren. There are small populations in Bregasland and there used to be a large group in the Mournwold, but most of those were killed when the Empire sent an army to crush the Feni at Alderly.

The Alderly situation apparently involved a significant degree of intermarriage between the Feni population living in the forest and the Marchers living on the edge of the forest. Those Marchers clearly felt a tie to the Feni of the deep woods, and fought fruitlessly to defend them. Those Marchers who lived on the edges of the woods were always considered a little "strange" by their neighbours. While that's not uncommon in the Marchers, and often indicates nothing more than an odd name, in the case of Alderly there was definitely more to it.

Similar accusations of association with the Feni are occasionally thrown at other settlements near areas they are known to roam. A few very old stories suggest that some groups of Feni may even have been absorbed into Marcher communities, especially in Upwold and Mitwold. These stories have been obscured by time but it appears that not all Feni groups were automatically hostile to the Marchers when they left Dawn and may have enjoyed cordial relationships that eventually, over time, led to the Marchers assimilating their neighbours. There are no such tales from Wintermark, but it's not impossible that some of the Winterfolk have attenuated familial connections to the Feni of Hahnmark.

===Superstitions and Hidden Homes===
The Feni are highly superstitious people, but they're also flagrant blasphemers and heretics. The Empire has largely ignored them because they're not significant in the broader picture and because nobody has ever been able to imagine successfully converting them. The Feni are passionate about their gods, they claim to meet with them regularly, to talk with them, to receive aid from them, and to be protected by them. Different groups of Feni seem to worship, or sometimes propitiate different gods. In the majority of cases it is very clear that these "gods" are nothing more than eternals, or occasionally powerful heralds. The Feni don't deny that they treat eternals as gods, and when questioned on it, they don't seem to see any meaningful distinction between the two terms.

At Alderly there were constant rumours of the folk who lived closest to the Feni being drawn into their blasphemous ways, and practising wicked rites in the woods. How mixed up in these matters the Alderly folk actually were is now impossible to know. The Empire sent an army in to crush the Feni and the few survivors fled West to Liathaven. If any Marchers remain with sympathies for the Feni, you would need to the Silent Bell to look into that, not historical records. But at a guess, it is very unlikely. Those Marchers whose loyalties were with the Feni will have fled with them, those whose true loyalty was the Empire or the Marches will likely have abandoned their erstwhile allies and are sensibly having nothing more to do with them.

This veneration of eternals as gods is most likely the reason the Feni were able to live ''inside'' the chambers of regio, even building settlements there as was seen at Alderly. Not only does the eternal patron provide an almost impossible-to-reach lair for the favoured Feni, but their patronage seems to bring other protections as well. The Feni at Alderly, who seem to have been associated with the Winter eternal Wise Rangara, certainly enjoyed a bounty of herbs and knowledge of herb lore than appears to have been almost a match for that of their Marcher neighbours.

This residence in regio may go some way toward explaining the high incidence of lineage among Feni groups - and that in turn may reinforce their peculiar behaviour and their reputation for being a strange, almost inhuman people.

===Afterword===
Right lad, this is very much off the record. You now know basically everything the Department of Historical Research knows about the Feni. I know the Senate has given you the power to commission Historical Research but I have to tell you that there's not a huge amount more we can tell you about the Feni. My completely unofficial advice to you would be to use this power to find out about other things you are interested in while you can, because further requests for more historical information about the Feni are likely to prove disappointing just because we don't ''know'' anything else.

This is a group of people who want nothing to do with the Empire. If they are a part of the Empire's history then they are little more than a footnote at this time. What happens in the future is anyone's guess - they keep heading west towards Liathaven and that could be storing up trouble. But if it is, then it's it in our future... not in our past.

==The Feni in Play==
The Feni (as a people) are barbarians, although some specific groups (such as the Woods that Fell) have been recognised as foreigners. Most peoples' experience of them is as raiders who target Imperial villages and farmsteads in the Marches, Hahnmark, and Kahraman, then melt back into the wilderness. They draw on themes of border raiders and operate in a similar manner to the cattle raiders of Irish myth, a stereotypical view of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Reivers border reivers] in the north of England, and a little of the raiding Vikings along the British coastline in the middle-ages (without the boats, obviously). These are a people that want no part of the wider world; an insular folk who view strangers as both a threat and a source of resources.

It should be noted that while they often steal cattle, grain, and other resources, they don't go out of their way to kill people unless they are doing so as part of a vengeance raid.

The Feni are more likely to be encountered as enemies during a skirmish or small-scale encounter than they are in a pitched battle. Their irregular raids may lead to complications, especially for Marcher characters, but it is easy to see how they could feature in the backgrounds of Navarr, Wintermark and Freeborn characters.

It is not unknown for a village or hall to have cautious peaceful relations with the Feni; there may be a neutral location near a settlement where occasional trades take place, for example. Such trade is illegal in the Empire. The Feni do not have anything to trade that is not available in the Empire, and have no use for money, but seem to be quite good with herbs. Contact with the Feni could serve as an interesting explanation for a character's [[herb garden]] personal [[resource]].

You cannot have a Feni as a character because they are considered enemies of the Empire. A background in which you spend extensive time among the Feni is likely to be rejected; part of the point of the Feni is that they are outside the Empire and not especially understood by its citizens.

==Further Reading==
* [[Shimmerglisten]] - Summer 384YE Wind of Fortune about the Feni settlement of Liathaven
* [[Make good use]] - Summer 382YE Wind of Fortune about the situation with the "Woods that Fell" Feni
* [[Words to make things right]] - Autumn 382YE Wind of Fortune about potential solutions to the problems of the "Woods that Fell" Feni
* [[Ratify treaty with the Woods-that-fell|Treaty]] - A treaty ratified in Autumn 382YE regarding the southern Woods that Fell Feni
* [[382YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Rattle_of_the_Bones|The Rattle of the Bones]] - The Winter 382YE Wind of War about the invasion of Alderly.
* [[Lethal_and_elusive#The_Feni|Lethal and elusive]] - Winter 382YE Wind of Fortune dealing with the Feni groups
* [[People of the North]] - general history about the pre-Imperial peoples of the northern Empire

[[Category:Bestiary]]
[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:History]]

Feni

2026-08-12T14:39:58Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Culture and Customs */

==Overview==
The Feni are human barbarians most commonly encountered in wild places of the [[The Marches|Marches]] and occasionally other parts of the north-western Empire, primarily [[Hahnmark]]. They lived in much of the area that is now the Marches since before the first Marchers [[The_Marches_history#The_creation_of_the_Marches|arrived in those lands]] and drove the [[orc|orcs]] out. [[#Origins of the Feni|History]] suggests that some of the Feni were once the subject people of the orcs who occupied this area. They seem to have a clannish structure, with individual groups of Feni being geographically and socially separated from others.

As of 384YE, the largest concentration of Feni in the Empire appears to be in [[Liathaven]], despite the territory labouring under a [[Wither the Seed|terrible curse]], and the presence of conquering [[Jotun]].

===Appearance===
The Feni dress primarily in leather and fur, and use spears and bows where they can get them and javelins where they cannot. They paint or tattoo their bodies with bands of colour and intricate spiral designs, almost always in muted greens and yellows. They make extensive use of camouflage, which makes it easy for them to hide and to attack from ambush.

===Culture and Customs===
The Feni are widely believed to disdain the trappings of civilisation. They mostly keep to themselves, but at semi-regular intervals they raid into parts of the Marches, southern [[Wintermark]] and the northern [[The Brass Coast|Brass Coast]]. These raids are primarily concerned with stealing goods and produce - they kill anyone who gets in their way, and anyone with a weapon or armour is fair game, but they do not go out of their way to murder non-combatants.

Sometimes the Feni are more destructive, killing every person in a village, and burning the place to the ground. Some circumstantial evidence suggests that they do this when they are launching revenge attacks against people they believe have wronged them in some serious way.

The Feni are skilled scouts who excel at hiding and attacking from ambush. They make regular use of herbal [[potion|potions]] and [[Potion#Poisons|poisons]], but they seem deficient in battlefield magic - few [[Magical skills#Magicians|magicians]] have ever been encountered among their number. Some scholars theorise this is less due to a lack of magicians, and more due to their magicians having responsibilities that prevent them taking part in raids.

For centuries it was assumed that the Feni had access to some magic that makes it hard to track them or locate their settlements, leading to speculation that each community had a number of ritualists specialized in the magic of [[Night magic|Night]], or that their settlements are built in areas that are naturally warded in some fashion. More recent revelations however have uncovered that Feni settlements appear to be built inside [[regio]] [[Regio#Portals_and_Chambers|chambers]] making them extremely hard to approach for anyone who does not know the secret of entering the chamber. Like all humans, they have at least a little [[lineage]]. There are reliable accounts of [[Draughir]] and [[Briar]] among their raiding groups. It is surprising that given their tendency to live inside powerfully magical areas, that they do not have ''more'' lineaged folk among their number.

They appear to have an absolute hatred for orcs. There have been numerous incidents where entire orc patrols have been encountered butchered and their corpses horribly mutilated, clearly the victims of the Feni. Unfortunately, they seem to lack either the ability or inclination to differentiate between the barbarian orcs and the [[Imperial Orcs]], and at least one legion of orcs has been lost to Feni while on manoeuvres in the northern Marches.

Their "primitive" appearance is highlighted by what seems to be a lack of indigenous metalwork - they use stolen weapons and armour when they can acquire it, but some have been encountered using bronze or even flint weapons. Items recovered from dead Feni, or occasionally thrown up for trade by peddlers, have been simple and functional, suggesting either that improvements in crafting techniques over the last six centuries have largely passed them by, or that they have cultural reasons for eschewing iron and steel work.

The common perception is that it is difficult to make peaceful contact with the Feni; while some [[The Marches military concerns#Beaters|beaters]] and itinerant merchants are able to arrange a meeting with one or two representatives of the Feni, they describe them as uncommunicative, suspicious, and uncooperative. Again, more recent developments - especially with regard to the large enclave in [[Mournwold#Alderly|Alderly]] in [[Mournwold]] - have suggested much closer, borderline friendly, ties between some Feni and their Marcher neighbours.

==Recent History==
In Summer 381YE, a giant [[Rocks and gravel|sinkhole opened up in the north-western Empire]]. While this caused problems for the Imperial citizens in [[Hahnmark]], [[Temeschwar]], [[Miaren]], and [[Upwold]]. More significantly impacted were a large number of Feni in the woodlands of [[Upwold#Birchland|Birchland]] and [[Hahnmark#Wood_Heath|Wood Heath]]. Their homes having fallen into the sinkhole, the Feni split into two groups forced to move across the Empire to find new homes. One group went south through Upwold into Mournwold - dubbed the "Woods that Fell" Feni - while the other went north through Hahnmark. Both groups picked up more Feni as they travelled, until they presented a significant problem for the western Empire.

The Wintermark group eventually moved out of Hahnmark into Hercynia, where they disappeared, most likely with the assistance of an [[eternal]]. The group in the Marches however gathered momentum as it moved south, After several pitched fights, they eventually [[Declare_Feni_group_to_be_foreigners|sued for peace]] and were allowed to leave the Mournwold for [[Liathaven]]. In the process, however, the Marches came into possession of instructions for how to find the settlement of the Feni living in the depths of [[Mournwold#Alderly|Alderly]]. In the lead up to the Winter Solstice 382YE, the [[Drakes]] used this information to [[382YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Rattle_of_the_Bones|destroy the Alderly enclave]].

It seems that the Feni are living more openly in Liathaven - despite the presence of a [[Wither the Seed|terrible curse]] over the territory - rather than hiding in [[regio]]. There are also reports of Feni from other settlements making their way to the former [[Navarr]] lands. [[Navarr]] activity in Liathaven - initially aimed at the Heirs of Terunael group - revealed more information about the situation in Liathaven with the [[Shimmerglisten|discovery of Hotter's Mire]] and an uneasy détente with the Empire. As on Autumn 384YE, however, the Jotun have once again [[No_Peace#Deep_Woods|invaded Liathaven]] and the Feni appear to have been scattered.

==Origins of the Feni==
In Winter 383YE, the [[Imperial Advisor for the Feni]], Watt of Lambrook, directed the [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|Department of Historical Research]] to "''Research the origins of the Feni people and their contact with or links to other contemporaneous peoples or civilisations''." What follows is the report provided by the Department.

===Foreword===
A lot of what we know about the Feni is based on speculation and hearsay. The Feni themselves have never been interested in cooperating with the Empire, for the most part they have kept their distance and cultivated a healthy distrust on both sides. Most of our information comes from the handful of Marcher folk who maintain close but covert ties with their reclusive neighbours.

The Feni are human barbarians most commonly encountered in the few remaining wild places of the Marches and occasionally other parts of the north-western Empire. They lived in much of the area that is now the Marches since before the first Marchers arrived in those lands and drove the orcs out. History suggests that some of the Feni were once the subject people of the orcs who occupied this area. They seem to have a clannish structure, with individual groups of Feni being geographically and socially separated from others.

===Grim Origins===
There is some evidence to suggest that the Feni predate the Terunael Empire, or at least that they existed at that time. There are several surviving documents from the Terunael period which strongly suggest that they conquered and subjugated the Feni, or at least some of them. The Feni refer to the coming of the vallorn as the ''"Rain That Washed The World Clean"'' and rather than seeing it as a disaster, they seem to view the event as a cause for celebration. That would certainly fit if they were enslaved by the Terunael.

It appears however the Terunael are not the only people who have oppressed the Feni. They are known to loathe orcs, especially the Jotun, but they have no affection for the Lasambrians, the Imperial Orcs, or any other orcs as far as anyone can tell. They are generally careful to avoid open battle with anyone, but they will ambush and kill orcs, any orcs, if they get an opportunity to attack with little losses. If asked they claim that the orcs were created by their enemies expressly to kill them, but then claim not to know who their "enemies" are.

There is some speculation that the Feni might be related in some way to the Gwerin Morfa, but given that they lived in what is today the Mallum, on the far side of the Empire, this seems to be unlikely.

The Marchers - the people who perhaps know them best - can only say that when they reached Upwold there were Feni there in the woods and wild places, hiding from the orcs. Likewise, the Winterfolk appear to have had little contact with them until around the time of the Steinr, following which there are references to "wild folk" in the hills of south-western Hahnmark.

The Feni are unwilling, or perhaps unable to provide further insight. They are known to keep no written records, and few of them can read or write. They claim to have no rich aural tradition to preserve memories and stories between generations instead they ''"give their songs to the gods"''. This is most likely to be a reference to some kind of crude ritual magic that allows them to create records of important memories they wish to preserve.

===Strange Interactions===
The Feni appear to have precious few contacts with other civilisations. As far as we know they eschew any contact with the orc nations to whom they are unremittingly hostile. they don't appear to share any borders with the Iron Confederacy, but it's hard to imagine the two people enjoying harmonious and positive relations. Indeed it's even possible that they have encountered the Suranni before and either been driven off or fled. However the presence of the Kahraman mountains appear to have formed an effective wall, it's notable that while the Marchers have extensive contacts with the Feni, the Freeborn don't. There have been some raids in northern Kahraman, but nothing further south, suggesting that the Feni are loathe to roam too far from what is today Marcher land.

There are isolated bands of Feni scattered across the Marches, and Wintermark, and of course there is (now) a large group in Liathaven, many of whom have moved there recently. Another group - the other part of the Woods that Fell - disappeared in Hercynia and it is likely they are still in hiding there, but there have been no report of raids. Indeed, the Feni seem to have surprisingly few contacts with the Navarr.

For the most part Imperial contact with the Feni has been hostile and involved roaming bands of Feni raiding outlaying settlements looking to take food, herbs, forest resources and other valuables. They are usually driven off by any show of stout resistance, they seem to avoid fights, but just occasionally they will put up unexpectedly stout resistance and nobody knows why. Those occasions can be dangerous, even deadly for their victims, especially if they have got into the habit of expecting the Feni to run at the first sight of trouble. This is not to say that every Feni enclave raids nearby settlements. Some can go for long periods of time without really interacting with their Imperial neighbours at all. Indeed there have been a few incidents over the last three hundred years where the first a Marcher household or Wintermark hall has known of their Feni neighbours has been an unexpected raid.

The only people they have much interaction with the Feni appear to be the Marchers. There are small groups of Feni in every territory in the Marches, usually dwelling the more inaccessible locations, where the land is unusually barren. There are small populations in Bregasland and there used to be a large group in the Mournwold, but most of those were killed when the Empire sent an army to crush the Feni at Alderly.

The Alderly situation apparently involved a significant degree of intermarriage between the Feni population living in the forest and the Marchers living on the edge of the forest. Those Marchers clearly felt a tie to the Feni of the deep woods, and fought fruitlessly to defend them. Those Marchers who lived on the edges of the woods were always considered a little "strange" by their neighbours. While that's not uncommon in the Marchers, and often indicates nothing more than an odd name, in the case of Alderly there was definitely more to it.

Similar accusations of association with the Feni are occasionally thrown at other settlements near areas they are known to roam. A few very old stories suggest that some groups of Feni may even have been absorbed into Marcher communities, especially in Upwold and Mitwold. These stories have been obscured by time but it appears that not all Feni groups were automatically hostile to the Marchers when they left Dawn and may have enjoyed cordial relationships that eventually, over time, led to the Marchers assimilating their neighbours. There are no such tales from Wintermark, but it's not impossible that some of the Winterfolk have attenuated familial connections to the Feni of Hahnmark.

===Superstitions and Hidden Homes===
The Feni are highly superstitious people, but they're also flagrant blasphemers and heretics. The Empire has largely ignored them because they're not significant in the broader picture and because nobody has ever been able to imagine successfully converting them. The Feni are passionate about their gods, they claim to meet with them regularly, to talk with them, to receive aid from them, and to be protected by them. Different groups of Feni seem to worship, or sometimes propitiate different gods. In the majority of cases it is very clear that these "gods" are nothing more than eternals, or occasionally powerful heralds. The Feni don't deny that they treat eternals as gods, and when questioned on it, they don't seem to see any meaningful distinction between the two terms.

At Alderly there were constant rumours of the folk who lived closest to the Feni being drawn into their blasphemous ways, and practising wicked rites in the woods. How mixed up in these matters the Alderly folk actually were is now impossible to know. The Empire sent an army in to crush the Feni and the few survivors fled West to Liathaven. If any Marchers remain with sympathies for the Feni, you would need to the Silent Bell to look into that, not historical records. But at a guess, it is very unlikely. Those Marchers whose loyalties were with the Feni will have fled with them, those whose true loyalty was the Empire or the Marches will likely have abandoned their erstwhile allies and are sensibly having nothing more to do with them.

This veneration of eternals as gods is most likely the reason the Feni were able to live ''inside'' the chambers of regio, even building settlements there as was seen at Alderly. Not only does the eternal patron provide an almost impossible-to-reach lair for the favoured Feni, but their patronage seems to bring other protections as well. The Feni at Alderly, who seem to have been associated with the Winter eternal Wise Rangara, certainly enjoyed a bounty of herbs and knowledge of herb lore than appears to have been almost a match for that of their Marcher neighbours.

This residence in regio may go some way toward explaining the high incidence of lineage among Feni groups - and that in turn may reinforce their peculiar behaviour and their reputation for being a strange, almost inhuman people.

===Afterword===
Right lad, this is very much off the record. You now know basically everything the Department of Historical Research knows about the Feni. I know the Senate has given you the power to commission Historical Research but I have to tell you that there's not a huge amount more we can tell you about the Feni. My completely unofficial advice to you would be to use this power to find out about other things you are interested in while you can, because further requests for more historical information about the Feni are likely to prove disappointing just because we don't ''know'' anything else.

This is a group of people who want nothing to do with the Empire. If they are a part of the Empire's history then they are little more than a footnote at this time. What happens in the future is anyone's guess - they keep heading west towards Liathaven and that could be storing up trouble. But if it is, then it's it in our future... not in our past.

==The Feni in Play==
The Feni (as a people) are barbarians, although some specific groups (such as the Woods that Fell) have been recognised as foreigners. Most peoples' experience of them is as raiders who target Imperial villages and farmsteads in the Marches, Hahnmark, and Kahraman, then melt back into the wilderness. They draw on themes of border raiders and operate in a similar manner to the cattle raiders of Irish myth, a stereotypical view of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Reivers border reivers] in the north of England, and a little of the raiding Vikings along the British coastline in the middle-ages (without the boats, obviously). These are a people that want no part of the wider world; an insular folk who view strangers as both a threat and a source of resources.

It should be noted that while they often steal cattle, grain, and other resources, they don't go out of their way to kill people unless they are doing so as part of a vengeance raid.

The Feni are more likely to be encountered as enemies during a skirmish or small-scale encounter than they are in a pitched battle. Their irregular raids may lead to complications, especially for Marcher characters, but it is easy to see how they could feature in the backgrounds of Navarr, Wintermark and Freeborn characters.

It is not unknown for a village or hall to have cautious peaceful relations with the Feni; there may be a neutral location near a settlement where occasional trades take place, for example. Such trade is illegal in the Empire. The Feni do not have anything to trade that is not available in the Empire, and have no use for money, but seem to be quite good with herbs. Contact with the Feni could serve as an interesting explanation for a character's [[herb garden]] personal [[resource]].

You cannot have a Feni as a character because they are considered enemies of the Empire. A background in which you spend extensive time among the Feni is likely to be rejected; part of the point of the Feni is that they are outside the Empire and not especially understood by its citizens.

==Further Reading==
* [[Shimmerglisten]] - Summer 384YE Wind of Fortune about the Feni settlement of Liathaven
* [[Make good use]] - Summer 382YE Wind of Fortune about the situation with the "Woods that Fell" Feni
* [[Words to make things right]] - Autumn 382YE Wind of Fortune about potential solutions to the problems of the "Woods that Fell" Feni
* [[Ratify treaty with the Woods-that-fell|Treaty]] - A treaty ratified in Autumn 382YE regarding the southern Woods that Fell Feni
* [[382YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war#The_Rattle_of_the_Bones|The Rattle of the Bones]] - The Winter 382YE Wind of War about the invasion of Alderly.
* [[Lethal_and_elusive#The_Feni|Lethal and elusive]] - Winter 382YE Wind of Fortune dealing with the Feni groups
* [[People of the North]] - general history about the pre-Imperial peoples of the northern Empire

[[Category:Bestiary]]
[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:History]]

Custodian of the Printers' Guild Mausoleum

2026-08-06T14:07:38Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Overview */

==Overview==
The Custodian of the Printers' Guild Mausoleum is an [[Imperial title]] that has custodianship of the [[#Printers' Guild Mausoleum|Printers' Guild Mausoleum]], commissioned by the [[Chair of the Wolf]], '''Gustavus Tolski van Temeschwar''', at the Spring Solstice 386YE.

During the Spring Equinox 388YE, '''Taddea Ginori''', as Chair of the Wolf, announced the [[Construct Grand Guildhouse of the Printers' Guild|construction]] of the [[Tassato#Torch_of_Truth|Grand Guild of the Printers' Guild]], informally known as the ''Torch of Truth'', in Tassato Mestra. The guildhouse has encouraged more visitors to the mausoleum, changing its [[#Profits from the Mausoleum|income]].

==Responsibilities==
The Custodian has no particular responsibilities; they simply receive a steady income from the Mausoleum. If the Mausoleum were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Custodian to deal with those threats.

==Powers==
===Profits from the Mausoleum===
The Printers' Guild Mausoleum draws visitors from across the League. These wealthy visitors often purchase writings, opinion pieces, and essays from the mausoleum, and the Custodian receives an income of 24 crowns each season.

==Appointment==
The Custodian is appointed by unanimous decision of the [[senator|senators]] of [[the League]]. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title [[Appointments_by_the_Senate#National_Position|may be appointed]] by the [[Senate]] instead.

The title can be held by a citizen of the League. The Custodian has [[tenure]], and serves until they die or step down. They can be [[revocation|revoked]] by the [[Assembly#General_Assembly|General Assembly]], the League [[Assembly#The_National_Assemblies|National Assembly]], and by the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of the Nine]].

{{RecentElections|Custodian_of_the_Printers%27_Guild_Mausoleum}}
==Printers' Guild Mausoleum==
Amongst the warehouses and busy printworks of Mestra stands the Printers' Guild Mausoleum. Built adjacent to the Printers' Guild Museum, it is a lasting legacy to the printed word and those involved in its proliferation. Built in an elaborate gothic style under the guidance of noted polymath ''Ivo Shando Von Holberg'', it is swathed with torches, burning to keep the rolling fog of the Vassa at bay. Replete with the symbolic representations of the Labyrinth, this impressive structure is designed in a way to assert authority on the city.

Great polished metal friezes wrap around the building, depicting masked figures that gather and spread the written word. From notetaking and typesetting to cranking the press and distributing to libraries, universities, and booksellers throughout the Empire and beyond, every detail is picked out on the silver surface.

Cunningly worked into the designs are some of the most popular titles of the Printers' Guild: ''The Prince’s Pledge''; ''Meditations on Magic''; ''Taddea’s Theorems; Revelations Treasures and Truths''; ''Bean Haggler''; ''Casamir’s Guide to Pubs and Pubbing''; ''Fertility and when to Sheath''; ''Engineering'' by Director of the Wunderkind; ''How to Solo Autumn''; ''Nadia’s Guide to Wine and Hangover Cures''; ''Carmine - So You Chose to Adventure'', and most prominent of all, ''A Torchbearer's Journey''.

Above all the detail and finery, stands the proud figure of the Silver Mask, gazing towards distant mountains.
{{Responsibilities Expectation}}
[[Category:Title]][[Category:The League]]

386YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

2026-08-06T14:06:18Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Construct Printers Guild Mausoleum */

[[Category:Senate]] [[Category:Senate Sessions]] [[Category:386YE Spring]]
{{scrutiny}}
==Overview==
The [[Senate]] governs the Empire, and its authority extends to all areas of Imperial life not already covered by the other houses of government. Each summit the [[senator|senators]] meet [[Event schedule|several times]] to deliberate and vote on the [[Senate motion|motions]] they have raised.

After the summit the civil service enact those motions, and ensure a public record of each is made available to the citizens of the Empire. This page lists all the motions raised during the summit, along with the [[Senate announcement|announcements]] made by citizens with [[Imperial title|Imperial titles]]. In each case, the motion and its effects are summarised including the wording; who proposed and seconded it; whether it passed or not; whether any funds were disbursed to support it; and what the outcome of the motion will be.

Many motions (especially the [[commission|commissions]]) also have a ''Further Details'' section that provides a link to a wiki page dealing specifically with that motion in more detail, any commentary from the [[Scrutiny|Constitutional Court]], progress on commissions, or expanded information about the outcome of the motion.

Following the mandate [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_127|enacted]] by '''Luca i Taziel i Riqueza''' after the Winter Solstice 385YE the number of commissions available has been reduced as the faithful have been convinced to withdraw their labour. This will continue until either the Imperial Senate uses a motion to assign fines from the magistrates to the Virtue fund or the [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|Prosperity Assembly]] uses a clearly worded [[Statement of Principle]] upheld with a greater majority to encourage the faithful to once again take up their tools. More information can be found in the [[Forwards_and_Rewards#Fines_and_Funds|Forwards and Rewards]] wind of fortune.

==Treasury==
* Imperial treasury during this season was announced by the civil service at 1406 thrones.
* The following has been donated to the Imperial treasury:
** 200 thrones donated to the treasury by '''Empress Vesna Borkovna Prochnost''' after the Spring Equinox 386YE

==Administrative Motions==
===Amend title of Arcane Envoy===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the election method of Arcane Envoy so that it is elected by Declaration of [[Candidacy]] in the Conclave.
* '''Raised by:''' Speaker for the Senate
* '''Passed'''
* '''Further Details:''' The [[Arcane Envoy]] was created by the Senate during the [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Create_title_of_Arcane_Envoy|Winter Solstice 385YE]]. The original motion stated that it was to be appointed yearly, which is not a valid well-worn path available for new titles in the [[Conclave]].

===Amend title of Warmage I===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the title of Warmage, to be a national Urizen position appointed by a simple majority vote of Urizen magicians present in the Hall of Worlds.
* '''Raised by:''' Speaker for the Senate
* '''Passed and ratified by Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost'''
* '''Further Details:''' More information on this motion can be found in the [[The_three_pillars#Conciliation|The three pillars]] wind of fortune

===Amend title of Warmage II===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the title of Warmage, to be a national Urizen position appointed by the Senate.
* '''Raised by:''' Speaker for the Senate
* '''Failed'''
* '''Further Details:''' More information on this motion can be found in the [[The_three_pillars#Conciliation|The three pillars]] wind of fortune.

===Assign Mareave===
*'''Motion:''' To assign the territory of Mareave
* '''Raised by:''' Speaker for the Senate
* '''Passed:''' The territory of [[Mareave]] was assigned to the [[Imperial Orcs]]
* '''Further Details:''' More information can be found in the '''[[Into_the_spin#The_Fine_Art_of_Assignment|Into the spin]]''' wind of fortune.

==Senate Motions==
===Abrogate Temple of the Four Winds===
*'''Motion:''' To abrogate the construction of the Temple of the Four Winds and the associated title. Proposed: [[Kahraman#Recent_Senate_Elections|Kahraman]], Seconded: [[Zenith#Recent_Senate_Elections|Zenith]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The position of [[Arbiter of the Four Winds]] is no longer active. More information on the circumstances around this motion can be found on the '''[[Broken_sword#Shadow_of_the_Temple|Broken sword]]''' wind of fortune.

===Amend title of Keeper of the Cox===
*'''Motion:''' To empower a role, to be appointed by the Conclave, who arranges the supervision of the Imp. Regio; in order that inappropriate misuses are prevented. They will hold the sinecure formerly: 'The Keeper of the Cox'; now called: 'The Keeper of the Watch'. Proposed: [[Conscience of the Senate#Recent_Senate_Elections|Conscience of the Senate]], Seconded: [[Casinea#Recent_Senate_Elections|Casinea]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' This motion is receiving additional scrutiny
* '''Further reading:''' [[Amend title of Keeper of the Cox]]

===Amend Lepidean University True Liao===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the method of assigning the dose of true liao produced by the Lepidean University. It will be assigned by election of the General Assembly. To be raised by the Tribune at the start of a summit and end at 6pm Saturday. Proposed: [[Kallavesa#Recent_Senate_Elections|Kallavesa]], Seconded: [[Reikos#Recent_Senate_Elections|Reikos]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The method of allocating the dose of [[true liao]] from the [[Lepidean_Librarian#Lepidean_University|Lepidean University]] has been changed to judgement of [[Appointment#True_Liao|appointment]].

===Appraise Dho'uala===
*'''Motion:''' To instruct the prognosticator's office to send Lutomysla Niegoslava to appraise solutions to the problem of Dho'uala killing Imperial citizens and interfering with matters on and around the Semmerlak. If possible, Lutomysla should ensure as part of the appraisal to speak with the Sand Fisher orcs of Misericorde. Proposed: [[Holberg#Recent_Senate_Elections|Holberg]], Seconded: [[Semmerholm#Recent_Senate_Elections|Semmholm]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' An appraisal will be published before the Summer Solstice 386YE

===Appraise Wealth of Sermersuaq===
*'''Motion:''' It is the ambition of Wintermark to increase the prosperity of Sermersuaq and its people. We seek not only to pay our own way in the Empire, but to take Pride in our Prosperity by making a positive contribution to the economy of the Empire. We request Graciana i Lopez i Guerra appraises who we can take advantage of the untapped natural wealth of Sermersuaq and its people to achieve these ends. Proposed: [[Sermersuaq#Recent_Senate_Elections|Sermersuaq]], Seconded: [[Bastion#Recent_Senate_Elections|Bastion]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' An appraisal will be published before the Summer Solstice 386YE

===Create Throne Power of Face of the Empire===
*'''Motion:''' Create the power of the Throne: 'Face of the Empire'. This would allow the Throne to revoke an Ambassador from their position and take on the burden of their office until an ambassador is re-elected in their usual season. This power would work in the same way as 'Defender of the Empire' and be separate from it. Proposed: [[Temeschwar#Recent_Senate_Elections|Temeschwar]], Seconded: [[Miaren#Recent_Senate_Elections|Miaren]].
* '''Passed with a constitutional majority'''
* '''Outcome:''' If this motion is ratified by the Throne then the power can be used at the same summit. An administrative motion will be presented to the Senate at the Summer Solstice to confirm whether or not this power is intended to apply to the [[Imperial Consul]]
* '''This motion has been ratified by the Throne'''

===Create title of Mistress of Monuments===
*'''Motion:''' To create the Imperial title of "Mistress of Monuments" as described in the opportunity last season. <u>Responsibilities:</u> To work with Imperial artists to commemorate inspirational actions and significant events with monuments and statues. <u>Powers:</u> The ability to commission a folly of up to nine wains each season. Commissions by this title would not count against the Senate's limited number of commissions. Title appointed annually by the Assembly of the Way. Revocable by the General Assembly, Assembly of Nine, and the Assembly of the Way. Proposed: [[Citizens%27_Voice|Citizens' Voice]]
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The title of [[Mistress of Monuments]] has been created and will be available to elect by the Assembly of the Way for the first time at the Summer Solstice 386YE. More information on this opportunity can be found in the '''[[Forwards_and_Rewards#Small_Monuments|Forwards and Rewards]]''' wind of fortune

===Create title of Shadowed Torchbearer===
*'''Motion:''' To create the title of Shadowed Torchbearer. To be appointed through Declaration of Candidacy, by Conclave. Proposed: [[Ossium#Recent_Senate_Elections|Ossium]], Seconded: [[Karsk#Recent_Senate_Elections|Karsk]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The title of [[Shadowed Torchbearer]] is available to appoint by the Conclave. As detailed in the '''[[Skeleton_key#Shadowed_Torchbearer_(Janon)|Skeleton key]]''' wind of fortune.

===Create titles of Voices of Virtue===
*'''Motion:''' To create the titles of "Voices of Virtues". To be appointed by the appropriate assembly, responsible for inspiring undedicated citizens to follow the virtue best suited to them; helping those who feel uncertain in their dedication; preaching and inspiring all citizens to understand the expression of their virtue. Stipend to be determined by the Senate. Proposed: [[Casinea#Recent_Senate_Elections|Casinea]], Seconded: [[Conscience of the Senate#Recent_Senate_Elections|Conscience of the Senate]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The titles of [[Voice of Virtue]] will be available to appoint by vote of the appropriate assembly. The elections will be spread across the year.

===Develop Flood Defences in Caricomare===
*'''Motion:''' A motion to develop flood defences in Sarvos with the aid of the Vandersaar. Does not require a commission. Costs are 60 thrones. The defences are to be decorated with an elegant letter B and a rose in honour of those who supported their creation. Proposed: [[Sarvos#Recent_Senate_Elections|Sarvos]], Seconded: [[Spiral#Recent_Senate_Elections|Spiral]].
* '''Passed at 40 thrones'''
* '''Outcome:''' 40 thrones disbursed to Senator for Sarvos. The Vandersaar family oversees this construction; it is not possible for the motion to specify certain details without the agreement of the Sarcophans. More information can be found in the '''[[Sound the bells#Flooding_of_Caricomare|Sound the bells]]''' wind of fortune.
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Flood Defences in Caricomare]]

===Disburse Funds for Thornsong===
*'''Motion:''' Dispersal of funds for the construction of Thornsong, the Empire's potion research college. As the risks from our enemies escalate, we must remain vigilant and ready for attacks in all its forms. Completing Thornsong will provide the Empire a vital tool to respond with potions and poison. Proposed: [[Therunin#Recent_Senate_Elections|Therunin]], Seconded: [[Kahraman#Recent_Senate_Elections|Kahraman]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' 50 thrones disbursed to Senator for Therunin.

===Disburse Funds for Five Cities College of War===
*'''Motion:''' That there be a dispersal of funds for purchase of materials for the construction of the [[Tassato#Five_Cities_Military_Academy|5 Cities College of War]] in Tassato. This motion does not require a civilian commission. Proposed: [[Tassato#Recent_Senate_Elections|Tassato]], Seconded: [[Holberg#Recent_Senate_Elections|Holberg]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' 100 thrones disbursed to Senator for Tassato.

===Fund the Drummers of the Drakes===
*'''Motion:''' A motion to pay the Drakes their due. Funding drummers to drum up support for the army when resupplying in Marcher and Imperial territory. This will increase the army's upkeep by 5 thrones per season. Proposed: [[Mitwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Mitwold]], Seconded: [[Upwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Upwold]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The quality of the [[Drakes]] will change to ''Pride of the Marches'' as per the '''[[Pride_of_the_Marches#Drakes_Drummers|Pride of the Marches]]''' wind of fortune.

===Set the Imperial Guerdon===
*'''Motion:''' That the Senate set the Guerdon. Proposed: [[Semmerholm#Recent_Senate_Elections|Semmerholm]], Seconded: [[Tassato#Recent_Senate_Elections|Tassato]].
* '''Passed at 150 thrones'''
* '''Outcome:''' The [[Military_unit#Imperial_Guerdon|Imperial Guerdon]] has been set to 150 thrones.

===Ratify Treaty with the Rahvin===
*'''Motion:''' To pass the treaty with the Rahvin. Proposed: [[Upwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Upwold]], Seconded: [[Skarsind#Recent_Senate_Elections|Skarsind]].
* '''Passed but vetoed by Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost'''
Click ''Expand'' to see the wording of this treaty
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
* The Empire will cede the regions of Bitter Strand and the Carmine Fields in the Barrens.
* The Empire will make the Black Wind foreigners.
* The Rahvin will trade mithril with Dawn.
</div>

===Ratify Treaty with Druj===
*'''Motion:''' To pass a peace treaty with the Druj. Proposed: [[Segura#Recent_Senate_Elections|Segura]], Seconded: [[Mournwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Mournwold]].
* '''Failed'''
Click ''Expand'' to see the wording of this treaty
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
To agree a peace treaty for one season only with the Druj. In return, the Druj commit to releasing the Great Forest Orcs, Rahvin, and Urizen prisoners unmolested. This will allow the Black Wind to leave the Barrens.</div>

===Ratify Treaty with Urizen of the Silver Flame===
*'''Motion:''' This treaty is between the Casinean Empire and the Non-Imperial Urizen led by Caela of the Silver Flame. Proposed: [[Morrow#Recent_Senate_Elections|Morrow]], Seconded: [[Mitwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Mitwold]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The Urizen of the Silver Flame are now considered foreigners
Click ''Expand'' to see the wording of this treaty
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
Both parties are at peace and agree not to attack a region held by the other.<br>
Both parties condemn political assassination and will cooperate to bring any guilty parties to justice<br>
The Urizen commit to:<br>
Reject any offer from the Druj or Grendel and make the Empire aware of them<br>
Cooperate to maintain defences against the {{Black Plateau}}<br>
Provide plans for a trade ministry within one year<br>
Assist in the mutual defence of Spiral from any Druj or Grendel attack<br>
</div>
===Ratify Treaty with Beoraidh===
*'''Motion:''' To ratify a treaty with Jarrek of Beoraidh. Proposed: [[Reikos#Recent_Senate_Elections|Reikos]], Seconded: [[Kallavesa#Recent_Senate_Elections|Kallavesa]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' This treaty was later [[#Amend Treaty with Beoraidh|amended]]
Click ''Expand'' to see the wording of this treaty
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
This is a declaration of peace between the Empire and the nation of Beoraidh, recognising Beoraidh as a foreign nation.<br>
Ehsan and successors retain Sinfoyard and Beoraidh, agreeing to pay the Empire 50 crowns per season to retain both regions for a minimum of 5 years.<br>
The Empire will retain trade by land and sea<br>
Both parties agree to operate by the terms of the Liberty Pact<br>
Beoraidh will lay no claim to Fleisardh<br>
Negotiations will occur in respect to buying land for constructing a build to the Way in the Beoraidh regions<br>
Both parties agree to inform the other of any planned removal of any spy networks in the territory<br>
Beoraidh guarantee full access to the river, subject to trade tariffs<br>
Beoraidh agrees that neither the Empire or the Grendel will have access to their shipyard.<br>
Beoraidh agree to no direct funding of war either of the Empire or the Grendel<br>
A notice period of one year is required to end the contract for both parties<br>
The contract is void if the Empire loses dominion of Mareave<br>
Representing the Empire: Finna i Guerra<br>
Representing the Beoraidh: Jarrek<br>
</div>

===Amend Treaty with Beoraidh===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the treaty with Beoraidh. The text in last night's motion was not the text agreed to by either side. The motion amends the previous motion to use the correct text. Proposed: [[Miaren#Recent_Senate_Elections|Miaren]], Seconded: [[Temeschwar#Recent_Senate_Elections|Temeschwar]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' The nation of Beoraidh is now considered to be foreigners
Click ''Expand'' to see the wording of this treaty
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
This is a declaration of peace between the Empire and the nation of Beoraidh, recognising Beoraidh as a foreign nation.<br>
Ehsan and successors retain Sinfoyard and Beoraidh, agreeing to pay the Empire 50 crowns per season per region to retain both regions for a minimum of 5 years; whilst the Empire maintains trade by sea and land <br>
Beoraidh will lay no claim to Fleisardh<br>
Beoraidh guarantee full access to the river, subject to trade tariffs<br>
Beoraidh agrees that neither the Empire or the Grendel will have access to their shipyard.<br>
Negotiations will occur in respect to buying land for construction of a building to the Way<br>
Both parties agree to operate by the terms agreed in the Liberty Pact<br>
Beoraidh agree to no direct funding or support of the war for either the Empire or the Grendel<br>
Both parties agree to inform the other of any planned removal of any spy networks in the territory<br>
A notice period of one year is required to end the contract for both parties<br>
The contract is void if the Empire loses dominion of Mareave<br>
Representing the Empire: Finna<br>
Representing the Beoraidh: Jarrek<br>
</div>
==Appointments==
===Ambassador to Otkodov===
*'''Motion:''' To elect the Ambassador to Otkodov. Proposed: [[Karsk#Recent_Senate_Elections|Karsk]], Seconded: [[Miekarova#Recent_Senate_Elections|Miekarova]].
* '''Outcome:''' '''Kindra Surefoot''' of [[Wintermark]] was elected as the [[Ambassador to Otkodov]]

===Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic===
*'''Motion:''' To appoint an Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic. Proposed: [[Bastion#Recent_Senate_Elections|Bastion]], Seconded: [[Sermersuaq#Recent_Senate_Elections|Sermersuaq]].
* '''Outcome:''' '''Accalon''' of [[Highguard]] was elected as the [[Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic]]

===Ambassador to Jarm===
*'''Motion:''' To elect an Ambassador to Jarm. Proposed: [[Redoubt#Recent_Senate_Elections|Redoubt]], Seconded: [[The Barrens#Recent_Senate_Elections|The Barrens]].
* '''Outcome:''' '''Nikita Teanga Volkov''' of [[Varushka]] was elected as the [[Ambassador to Jarm]]

===Ambassador to the Commonwealth===
*'''Motion:''' To elect an Ambassador to the Commonwealth. Proposed: [[Skarsind#Recent_Senate_Elections|Skarsind]], Seconded: [[Sarvos#Recent_Senate_Elections|Sarvos]].
* '''Outcome:''' '''Lucia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato''' of [[the League]] was elected as the [[Ambassador to the Commonwealth]]

===Ambassador to Faraden===
*'''Motion:''' To elect an Ambassador to Faraden. Proposed: [[Mournwold#Recent_Senate_Elections|Mournwold]], Seconded: [[Hercynia#Recent_Senate_Elections|Hercynia]].
* '''Outcome:''' '''Ebenezer''' of [[the Marches]] was elected as the [[Ambassador to Faraden]]
* '''Note:''' This election was [[Appointment_by_the_Senate#Escalation|escalated]] and received ratification by Empress Vesna

==Commissions (Senate)==
===Construct Mana Sinecure in Kallavesa===
*'''Motion:''' This house should remain mindful of its duty to support the prosperity of hard-working citizens of this Empire. Small halls who have banded together to gather resources, yet tried and failed to afford a wayleave should not be abandoned. Proposed: [[Hahnmark#Recent_Senate_Elections|Hahnmark]], Seconded: [[Bregasland#Recent_Senate_Elections|Bregasland]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' 5 thrones disbursed to Senator for Hahnmark.
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Mana Sinecure in Kallavesa]]

===Construct Smuggler's Cove in Salt Flats of Sanath===
*'''Motion:''' To commission the construction of a smuggler's cove in the Salt Flats of Sanath. This construction will be fully funded and allow us to strike at the heartland of the Druj, furthering our information gathering capabilities, bringing us closer to an end to the war and liberating the subjugated peoples. Proposed: [[Miekarova#Recent_Senate_Elections|Miekarova]], Seconded: [[Weirwater#Recent_Senate_Elections|Weirwater]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Smuggler's Cove in Salt Flats of Sanath]]

===Fortify Delev===
*'''Motion:''' To build a fortification in Delev, to complete the fortified walls surrounding it. Proposed: [[Karov#Recent_Senate_Elections|Karov]], Seconded: [[Volodmartz#Recent_Senate_Elections|Volodmartz]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Further reading:''' [[Fortify Delev]]

===Construct Eels Landing===
*'''Motion:''' To develop the docks at Eels Landing in the North Fens, Bregasland. Ceding these docks to House Greywater in recognition of their service during the occupation of Bregasland. To grant the town of Eels Landing a market charter as funded by House Bolholt and the Black Vigil. Proposed: [[Bregasland#Recent_Senate_Elections|Bregasland]], Seconded: [[Therunin#Recent_Senate_Elections|Therunin]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' Charter ratified by '''Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost'''. More information on this opportunity can be found in the '''[[New_port,_old_wine#Eel's_Landing|New port, old wine]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Eels Landing]]

===Fortify Spider's Dream Bridge===
*'''Motion:''' To fortify Spider's Dream Bridge. Request disbursement of funds (not much). Proposed: [[Necropolis#Recent_Senate_Elections|Necropolis]], Seconded: [[Segura#Recent_Senate_Elections|Segura]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' More information on this opportunity can be found in the '''[[Dreaming_in_strands#Old_Precautions|Dreaming in strands]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Fortify Spider's Dream Bridge]]

===Construct Nostos Docks===
*'''Motion:''' To construct the Nostos Docks. Self funded. Proposed: [[Zenith#Recent_Senate_Elections|Zenith]], Seconded: [[Necropolis#Recent_Senate_Elections|Necropolis]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Nostos Docks]]

===Construct Inn of the Granite Stag===
*'''Motion:''' To commission the Inn of the Granite Stag in Veltsgorsk, a folly establishing a ministry that will allow the holder of the Granites of Veltsgorsk to purchase additional white granite, up to a maximum of 12 wains a season. Fully self funded by the seat holder. Proposed: [[Volodmartz#Recent_Senate_Elections|Volodmartz]], Seconded: [[Ossium#Recent_Senate_Elections|Ossium]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' More information on this opportunity can be found in the '''[[Deep_forests_and_dark_hills#Granites_of_Veltsgorsk|Deep forest and dark hills]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Inn of the Granite Stag]]

===Construct Roads of the Sky===
*'''Motion:''' To build the Arch of the Sky, Southern Skyways, and Bridge of the Air – creating a white granite seat and roads throughout Spiral and Urizen. Proposed: [[Spiral#Recent_Senate_Elections|Spiral]], Seconded: [[Astolat#Recent_Senate_Elections|Astolat]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' 25 thrones disbursed to Senator for Spiral. More information on this opportunity can be found in the '''[[Road_out_of_nowhere#Southern_Skyways|Road out of nowhere]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Roads of the Sky]]

===Construct Prosperous Counting House in Karsk I===
*'''Motion:''' To commission the construction of a Prosperous Counting House in Karsk. Proposed: [[Ossium#Recent_Senate_Elections|Ossium]], Seconded: [[Hercynia#Recent_Senate_Elections|Hercynia]].
* '''Withdrawn'''

===Construct Court of the Spider King===
*'''Motion:''' To commission a fane, the Court of the Spider King, in Elerael in Brocéliande. This will allow open communication with Arhallogen and allow the purchase of vital honey. To create the position of Emissary to Arhallogen to be appointed by Declaration of Candidacy in the Conclave. This will be self funded and will be ceded to Arhallogen. Proposed: [[Hercynia#Recent_Senate_Elections|Hercynia]], Seconded: [[Karov#Recent_Senate_Elections|Karov]].
* '''Failed'''

===Amend Spires of Dusk===
*'''Motion:''' To amend the fortification, Spires of Dusk, remodelling to remove Druj elements and make a monument to the sacrifice paid by the Hounds of Glory. Does not require a commission and will be self funded by Castellan of Spiral Castle, Mortarion Carver. Proposed: [[The Barrens#Recent_Senate_Elections|The Barrens]], Seconded: [[Redoubt#Recent_Senate_Elections|Redoubt]].
* '''Passed'''
* '''Outcome:''' More information can be found in the '''[[Three_keys#The_Last_Hound|Three keys]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Amend Spires of Dusk]]

==Commissions (Announcements)==
===Construct City of Flowers===
*'''Motion:''' To commission the work to transform Holberg into the City of Flowers
* '''Announced:''' by Dima Vasilyevna Novosad, [[Master of the Koboldi]]
* '''Outcome:''' Continues the work started in [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Construct_Garden_City_in_Holberg|Winter 385YE]]. As per the '''[[The_greatest_city_in_the_world#Flower_Gardens|The greatest city in the world]]''' wind of fortune.
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Garden City in Holberg]]

===Construct Shchaslyvyy Outpost Sappery===
*'''Motion:''' Borys Vardovich Strascovich, Boyar of the Iron Roads, announces the building of the Shchaslyvyy Outpost Sappery a (12 mithril) mana ministry in Varushka to be assigned by Tally of the Votes.
* '''Announced:''' by Borys Vardovich Straskovich, [[Boyar of the Iron Roads]]
* '''Outcome:''' Creates a ministry in Drownbark Forest, [[Ossium]].
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Shchaslyvyy Outpost Sappery]]

===Construct Printers Guild Mausoleum===
*'''Motion:''' I announce the commission of the Printers Guild Mausoleum, to be constructed in Tassato. This commission will take 20 wains of mithril to construct. All provided in Pride by the Printers Guild to create a legacy for its members. This commission will create the title of Custodian of the Printers Guild Mausoleum. The title is to be appointed by League senators. The title is to be a tenured position.
* '''Announced:''' by Gustavus Tolski van Temeschwar, [[Chair of the Wolf]]
* '''Outcome:''' Creates a sinecure in [[Tassato]]. Work cannot be started until the Chair of the Wolf indicates which region of Tassato the mausoleum is to be built in.
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Printers' Guild Mausoleum]]

===Construct Iron Grove===
*'''Motion:''' To commission "The Iron Grove", a herb garden sinecure in Kallavesa with the title "Keeper of the Iron Grove". It will be appointed by the Wintermark senators with tenure.
* '''Announced:''' by Wren Ironclaw, [[Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave]]
* '''Outcome:''' Creates a sinecure in Skymark, [[Kallavesa]].
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Iron Grove]]

===Construct Happiston Mana Exchange===
*'''Motion:''' As bearer of the First Imperial Wayleave, I hereby announce the commission of a 16 wain mana ministry in Happiston in the Marches. This will create a Marcher National title called "The Reeve of the Happiston Mana Exchange" to be annually elected by a Tally of the Votes. Costs to be covered in entirety by "Morgan Townsend" through the Prosperity of Happiston Bakes.
* '''Announced:''' by Vivane Knotes, [[Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave]]
* '''Outcome:''' Creates a ministry in Chalkdowns, [[Mournwold]].
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Happiston Mana Exchange]]

===Construct Prosperous Counting House in Karsk II===
*'''Motion:''' To commission the construction of a Prosperous Counting House in Karsk. Self funded by Wolfs Hearth and Embers of Iversgaard. Costing 5 weirwood, 5 white granite, and 30 crowns.
* '''Announced:''' by Laughlan, [[Master of Rings]]
* '''Outcome:''' More information can be found in the '''[[Forwards and Rewards]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Prosperous Counting House in Karsk]]

===Construct Feldspar Distillery===
*'''Motion:''' To build Herbsheart/Feldspar Distillery in Skarsind. Creates the title 'Wise Arborist'. This is a type of herb garden sinecure. The title holder must be of the Yerende sept.
* '''Announced:''' by Groza, [[Legion Engineer]]
* '''Outcome:''' More information can be found in the '''[[Standing_in_the_sun#Herbsheart|Standing in the sun]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Further reading:''' [[Construct Feldspar Distillery]]

==Announcements==
===Research Sorrowful Tunnels===
*'''Motion:''' To send Snowstorm Henk to the Sorrowful Tunnels in Skarsind to lead a year-long investigation into the troll ruins. The ministry will supply a quantity of liao to counter the effects of that place.
* '''Announced:''' by Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti, [[Minister of Historical Research]]
* '''Outcome:''' [[Historical research]] on the matter will be delivered to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 386YE. Draws on an opportunity presented in the '''[[Long_shadows#The_Sorrowful_Tunnels|Long shadows]]''' wind of fortune.

===Research Stories of Vardas and Mikkal===
*'''Motion:''' The teachings of Vardas tell us to "seek out falsehoods and expose the truth" and it would be remiss of us to deny his own story this scrutiny. We must be prepared to challenge what we know and take joy in new possibilities. As such, I ask the Heirs of Lepidus to research further in the story of Vardas and his investigation surrounding Mikkal. May the findings give us new insight into identifying poisons in our own fields.
* '''Announced:''' by Hazelelponi of the Shattered Tower, [[Lepidean Librarian]]
* '''Outcome:''' [[Historical research]] on the matter will be delivered to the Librarian at the Summer Solstice 386YE

===Hand of the Chancellor===
*'''Motion:''' The Throne uses Hand of the Chancellor to disburse a third of the Senate's budget
* '''Announced:''' by Vesna Borkovna Prochnost, [[the Throne]]
* '''Outcome:''' 468 thrones disbursed to Empress Vesna Borkovna Prochnost

===Dismantle Spy Network in Mareave===
*'''Motion:''' The spy network in Mareave has done their virtuous work well. Knowledge is power, as is hard cash. Therefore, I announce the deconstruction of the Mareave spy network so our prosperity can be better invested elsewhere. Stand ready agents, for the prize that awaits.
* '''Announced:''' by Bernard Dugdale, [[Imperial Spymaster]]
* '''Outcome:'''

===Amend Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial===
*'''Motion:''' The permanently hallowed Book of the Dead is to be made regalia for the Highborn position of the Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial. This position is currently held by Jericho of the Suns of Couros. The book records the names of all heroes who died at Anvil, through the Sentinel Gate, and is kept by the Scribes of the Book of the Dead, representatives of all nations.
* '''Announced:''' by Athiel Westernborn of the Cenotaph, [[Benefactor of Regalia]]
* '''Outcome:''' The Book of the Dead has been added to the regalia of the [[Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial]]

===Imperial Guerdon===
*'''Motion:''' The Valiant Pegasus and the Wolves of War to receive the Guerdon
* '''Announced:''' by Hector Smith, [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]]
* '''Outcome:''' Military units supporting the two armies will receive shares in the [[Military_unit#Imperial_Guerdon|Imperial Guerdon]]

Rings and crowns

2026-08-06T12:04:29Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Virtue and Reward */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:385YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"It all seems a little... much... sometimes. Am I bad for saying that?"

"What does?" Aranuah slipped her bookmark between the pages of her novel. She recognised Zalmonah's tone of voice. It meant there was something on her mind and she wanted to talk about it, and there'd be no more reading until they'd thrashed the matter out.

"Helping. Being the elder sibling," Zalmonah gestured vaguely at the enormity of it all. "Being the partner of greatness, being the kinship peer, supporting everyone else. All of it."

Aranuah was a little taken aback. Outwardly, Zalmonah was always proudly talking about Highguard's role as the birthplace of the Way, about the importance of inspiration, about destiny and virtue. To hear her speaking like this was troubling. She registered for the first time the darkness beneath Zal's eyes, how pale and tired she looked. Inwardly, she cursed herself for not spotting the signs earlier.

"Can I ask, are you looking to talk about this or just for me to listen?" She asked after a few more moments thought. Zalmonah half-laughed a little awkwardly and shook her head.

"Oh, it's alright Aran," she said. "No need to look so serious. I'm just... sometimes the enormity of it gets to me a little bit. Sometimes my heart swells so full of Pride it might burst, sometimes I'm lifted up by that feeling of Loyalty to all the people of the Empire, and the world, already born and yet to come, and it starts to... it starts to overwhelm me. There's so much wrong in the world and sometimes it feels like it's just me, that I have to fix it all. I'm sorry, I'm babbling."

"You're not babbling, Zal." Putting her book aside, Aranuah joined her on the seat by the window. "I know exactly what you mean."

"You do?" Zalmonah noticeably relaxed, letting go of the worry rising up inside her with a low sigh. "I was worried it was just me. It's such a... responsibility. I'm glad we're helping the Freeborn, I'm so happy we're talking with the orcs in the Barrens and in Varushka. I'm excited by the thought of helping build a beacon of the Way in Bastion. It's fascinating reading the statements of the other national Assemblies but sometimes it's a little too much."

As Zalmonah spoke, Aranuah passed over the plate of spiced biscuits, and ate on herself, nodding along in agreement.

"Nobody expects us to do everything at once," she interjected when Zalmonah paused for breath. "Nobody who matters, anyway. Empress Mariika wrote that when you're at war with the whole world, you've got to pick your battles, remember?"

Zalmonah smiled at that, genuinely, and some of the tiredness shifted from her shoulders.

"She wasn't wrong. As I was saying to Maester Aveyan the other day, 'so much to do and so little time'."

Aranuah laughed, then caught herself. "Are you quoting Emperor Nicovar at me? That's unfair and... wait who were you talking to?"

"Maester Aveyan. They're one of the Grendel merchants we've been negotiating with. They're after herbs, and paying good money for them. It's easy to forget sometimes that we're probably going to be at war with their people again by the end of the year. They're so easy to talk to, and they seem genuinely concerned about virtue and the problems Highguard is facing and..."

She trailed off, her eyes widening, a grim realisation blossoming. Aranuah bit her lip, leant forward to take Zalmonah's hands in hers.

"I'm sure it's fine." she said, calmly, reassuringly. "I'm sure they were just trying to make friends so they'd get a better rate. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Zal. I'm sure of it."

But Aranuah was not sure, not at all, and the two women stared at each other in worried silence.</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Words Resounding.jpg|align=left|caption=We study history not to argue over the facts but to identify lessons that can inspire us today..|width=600}}</div>
==Overview==
The people of [[Highguard]], especially their priests, look outward toward the rest of the Empire, ready to offer aid to their younger siblings. Their [[Full_of_sacred_sound#A_Peerless_Kinship|peerless kinship]] is directed towards [[the Brass Coast]], offering their [[insight]] in [[Kahraman]] and their strength to their [[Questions_of_virtue#Our_Freeborn_Cousins|Freeborn cousins]] in retaking [[Feroz]] the same way they helped the [[Urizen]] reclaim [[Zenith]]. The [[Granite Pillar]] raced across half the Empire to accompany [[the Marches]] in [[welly boots|securing the borders]] of [[Bregasland]]. Their [[unconquered]], [[magister|magisters]] and [[wayfarer|wayfarers]] have offered their [[Full_of_sacred_sound#A_Peerless_Kinship|peerless kinship]] to the people of [[Varushka]] as they [[Pride and prejudice|seek out the orcs]] that share their forests and work to [[Culling_the_threat#Reservation_of_Benefits|secure their eastern borders]]. In the process they [[Pride_and_prejudice#Mission_of_Mercy|found their own answer]] to the question of the virtue of the [[Thule]], and answer that potentially has far-reaching implications.

Of course not everyone welcomes the Highborn, nor sees the value of their aid and support. Yet the desire to reach out to their neighbours and cousins, allies and friends in the other nations is not diminished. When Highguard puts its mind to a virtuous course of action, very little can dissuade them from the path.

==Kinship and Greatness==
{{SOP|statement=When one nation reaches out to another seeking only to help we should not cut off our own arm to refuse it. Any nation that refuses any and all help from Highguard or any of our Empire's nations has severely misunderstood why Loyalty is so important: collaboration is our greater strength as ten nations under one throne.|by=Astrea of the Crystal Skies, Loyalty Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 287-0|when=Spring Equinox 385YE}}
* '''Several assemblies enacted mandates during the Spring Equinox related to Highguard'''
* '''The Highborn have three more opportunities to use their peerless kinship'''
''Eli'', ageing custodian of Walter's Tomb, proposed that the Empire is like a family of ten siblings, each with their own strengths. As the eldest, Highguard's primary role is to support their family, not only in war but in all things. In general, the other nations have at least tolerated the Highborn as they attempt to put this theory into practice. ''Astrea of the Crystal Skies'' in particular praised the virtue of the Highguard aspiration, and the [[Loyalty]] assembly agreed. However not all the nations agreed.

Three nations welcomed the Highborn interest in their [[statement of principle|statements of principle]], and reciprocated. '''[[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_104|Ophelia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato]]''' of the [[the League|League]], '''[[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_147|Anastasiya Volkov]]''' of [[Varushka]], and '''[[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_76|Tarquinius Ankarien]]''' of [[Urizen]] were each sent out to urge their peers to witness the judgements of the Highborn Assembly by their National assemblies. The priests of these three nations can now respond to a [[mandate]] offered to the Highborn Assembly. They can submit an [[Mandate#Alternative_Mandates|alternative mandate]] before the summit begins - just like a regular alternative mandate - but this mandate will be in their own Assembly and will affect the priests of their own nation. Just as with the Highborn, they may choose to react in support of the issue or in opposition to the issue - as with any alternative mandate - but it will be their own nation that is most directly affected by the outcome - not Highguard. This ability remains available until the start of the Spring Equinox 386YE.

However the League Assembly also chose to reject any Highborn attempts to aid or assist them. '''Sofonisba Amilcara di Sarvos''' [[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_19|was chosen]] by the League national assembly to "''urge the people of the League to take pride in our history and refuse all aid from the Highborn''." As a consequence, Highguard cannot choose the League as the target of their [[Full_of_sacred_sound#A_Peerless_Kinship|peerless kinship]]. This leaves five nations who ''can'' be aided - [[Dawn]], [[Imperial Orcs]], [[the Marches]], [[Wintermark]], and [[Varushka]]. [[Urizen]], [[Navarr]], and [[the Brass Coast]] have already received their aid, and [[the League]] refuse to accept it. As [[Full_of_sacred_sound#Partner_of_Greatness|explained last season]], a statement of principle in the Highborn assembly can name a nation to offer aid to, and the priests of that nation can use statements of their own to direct that aid where they think it will be most helpful to them.

<box><big>'''OOC Note on Alternative Mandates'''</big><br>
Highguard has a limited ability to raise an alternative mandate as a response to a mandate in the assembly of another nation. The League, Urizen and Varushka can raise a mandate in their own assembly in response to a mandate in the Highborn Assembly. In all cases the effects of these alternative mandates will be felt by the people of the nation that enacted the mandate.

A priest can urge people to pay attention to a problem or situation affecting another nation - but the response will always be in their own nation. This may lead to priests cooperating with each other, or it may lead to them acting at odds, or it may even mean that the nation responds to a similar problem in their own nation. In most cases it will not make the effects of the original mandate ''more powerful'' - it will simply produce a related response in another nation. As with any alternative mandate, the outcome will be made as clear as possible when the mandate is submitted.</box>

==Eyes of the Basilisk==
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;"><quote by="Barachel of Adina's Charge, General of the Seventh Wave">My soldiers of the Seventh Wave, I am proud of what you have achieved. We are going home, to rearm and resupply. We shall not be idle, for idleness breeds vice. We shall be running a series of exercises to assess the strength and preparations of our shore defences. Any weakness in these defences, or spies compromising our security, shall be found, and in vigilance, for we know the Grendel plot against us.</quote></div>
* '''The Seventh Wave have uncovered a Grendel espionage ring in Necropolis'''
The Seventh Wave have not been in Highguard since 382YE. Since then they have fought the Grendel in [[the Brass Coast]], spent a year fighting to liberate Zenith, and took part in the [[Cost|savage fight]] that ultimately saw [[the Barrens]] liberated from the [[Druj]]. Now they have returned, resupplying and regrouping in [[Necropolis]]. Where another army might relish a chance to be on furlough, the Seventh Wave under '''Barachel of Adina's Charge''' refuse to rest, [[Vigilance|Vigilantly]] [[Army_qualities#Scouting|guarding the gates]] and doing whatever they can to try and secure the Highguard coast against the orcs of the Broken Shore.

Since the [[Ratify_treaty_with_the_Grendel_Autumn_383YE|peace treaty]] signed by the Imperial Senate two years ago, the [[Grendel]] have been sending merchants and traders to every port and town along the [[Bay of Catazar]]. Indeed, recent months have seen discussion in the Highborn Assembly about the virtue or lack thereof of [[Shallow_days#Visiting_Armadas|trading with Grendel]] desperate to secure a last few deals before the treaty comes to an end and war inevitably resumes. Their [[navy|navies]] have been sighted visiting every Imperial territory still remaining along the shores of the Bay - [[Madruga]], [[Sarvos]], [[Necropolis]], and [[Redoubt]], demonstrating their dominion of the seas.

It may come as no surprise then, to discover that the Highborn soldiers quickly uncover signs that the Grendel are engaging in extensive espionage in Necropolis. They have a long-established espionage ring in the territory, something akin to a [[spy network]] but much more difficult to root out. Any Grendel merchant that has visited the territory in the last two years might well have been a spy, or had a spy among their entourage. Any off-duty sailor visiting [[Necropolis#Sanctuary_Sand|Sanctuary]] or [[Necropolis#Longbeach|Crown's Quay]] could have been reporting back to a spy master; any Highborn citizen who spent time in casual conversation with an inquisitive mariner or merchant might have inadvertently revealed useful intelligence to a Grendel spy. Yet the Grendel do not do all their espionage work themselves; far from it. Instead, they are adept at finding citizens of the territory - human as often as not - prepared to occasionally send a little letter about what is going on in Necropolis to a friendly handler in return for money. Lots of money.

If the Grendel had just built a spy network, and had their soldiers sneaking around peering at things, it might be relatively easy to dismantle it. As it is, actually rooting out this poison in the fields of Highguard represents a significantly greater challenge.
===Suck the Poison===
* '''The Highborn National Assembly could use a mandate to empower the Seventh Wave to scour Grendel espionage rings from their territories'''
The main problem is that while there may be a few Highborn who are cynically selling out their own people in return for money, many more are either innocent dupes or are deluding themselves into the belief they are doing the right thing. One way to remove the insidious poison of the Grendel spymasters directly would be for the Highborn assembly to persuade their people they must consider the behaviour of their friends and enemies, and that they can sever their ties with the Grendel without being punished. This would take the form of a mandate.
{{Mandate|mandate=Vigilance teaches us to seek out falsehood, and reveal the truth. We send (named priest) with 50 doses of liao to urge the unconquered and the priests of our nation to help the Seventh Wave root out the poison in our fields.|assembly=Highguard National Assembly}}
If this mandate is enacted, then for the next year the Seventh Wave will be able to root out a Grendel espionage ring from a Highborn territory by issuing the ''Guard the Gates'' order while in that territory. They can only do this if they previously confirmed the presence of the ring or found evidence of its activities in some way - its not enough to suspect one is present or be told that there is espionage taking place. They will need to phrase their orders in such a way as to make it clear they are dealing with the spies and dismantling the Grendel's espionage ring. Only the Seventh Wave can take advantage of this mandate - it requires an army with the [[Army qualities#Scouting|scouting]] quality and it can only be done in a Highborn territory; if soldiers from another nation tried to do it they will inevitably cause extensive disruption. Winding up an espionage ring will create at least one opportunity to gain a piece of potentially useful or interesting information about the Grendel forces and strategies in the Bay of Catazar as part of their spying report, or as part of a skirmish opportunity.

Using the Seventh Wave, however, is by no means the only way the espionage ring in Necropolis might be dealt with. For that matter, the confirmation of spies in Necropolis raises a whole host of other questions.

===Be Alert to Dangers===
* '''It's likely the Grendel have spy networks across the entire Bay of Catazar'''
It seems very unlikely, almost inconceivable, that the Grendel have only established spies in Necropolis. They almost certainly have espionage networks in Madruga, Sarvos, and Redoubt as well, and possibly even [[Tassato]] (it's never been entirely clear how many of the Salt Lords consider Tassato to be on the Bay of Catazar even though the city itself it is some distance inland). There may also be spies in [[Spiral]] that Salt Lord Kaliact is unaware of who may need to be dealt with.

Any Imperial army able to take the ''Guard the Gates'' order can try and find an espionage ring, but as mentioned above it is no simple matter to actually root the Grendel out. Their spies are well embedded in the territory, and there's no guarantee that each nation's people have responded the same way to approaches from "inquisitive orc merchants." Regardless, the first stage to removing the spies is to determine if they are there, and where they are.

While the Highborn National Assembly can use a mandate to support the Seventh Wave, that's only one possible solution to the problem. The [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of the Nine]] could instruct the [[Silent Bell (Sodality)|Silent Bell]] to look for an espionage ring in a territory, or try and dismantle one that has already been discovered. The [[Shuttered Lantern]] could also be engaged to root out or destroy an espionage ring. The [[Senate]] could instruct the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|Prognosticator's Office]] to [[appraisal|appraise]] methods of finding and shutting the Grendel spies down. It's not possible to predict what [[opportunity]] would arise, and there are any number of other ways that an espionage ring might be found or disrupted. What is certain however is that none of these methods are likely to be cheaper or easier than that presented to the Highborn.

Of course the Empire might decide that it doesn't matter that the Grendel know what their armies are doing; or that the orcs may be engaged in a complex double-bluff hinting that there are spies where there are not to spread uncertainty, in which case they can ignore the potential spies. Either way the Empire needs to be cautious about how they proceed; simply telling everyone there are Grendel spies and traitors among them is a recipe for people taking the law into their own hands - especially in the League with the [[Don't blame me|inspiration]] of [[Ratibor of Temeschwar|Ratibor]] fresh in peoples' minds. Creating this kind of disruption at exactly the wrong moment is likely playing straight into the Grendel's hands.

==Glare of the Noonday Sun==
* '''The priests of Highguard have taken direct action to destroy the last major Druj miasma pillars left in Zenith'''
* '''The Urizeni of the Hall of the Newborn Sun propose a gift be given to whomever was most responsible for removing the hateful miasma from Zenith'''
* '''The arbiter of the temple spire has asked the Imperial Conclave to determine who is the most suitable recipient of the gift, ideally making it part of their regalia'''
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><box>'''<big>Hall of the Newborn Sun</big>'''<br>The [[Some_heavenly_music#Hall_of_the_Newborn_Sun|Hall of the Newborn Sun]] is made up of [[questor|questors]] and [[illuminate|illuminates]] whose [[spire#Temple|temple]] once stood in [[Zenith#Occursion|Occursion]]. When the [[orc|orcs]] came some of the inhabitants were able to flee with the aid of the [[Highguard|Highborn]] armies but many of the most devout were captured attempting to rescue the centuries of philosophical texts held in the cathedral library. They were left to labour as slaves of the Druj until finally the [[383YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Zenith|desperate rescue]] of 383YE brought them to safety. The reunited priests founded a new spire - the Hall of the Newborn Sun - in the mountains of south-eastern [[Morrow]], not far from [[Morrow#The_Three_Watchers|the Three Watchers]]. Their new arbiter, ''Aphrodias of the Newborn Sun'', recently arranged for one of their grimoires, the [[Some_heavenly_music#Book_of_the_Restless_Spirit|Book of the Restless Spirit]], be included in [[Urizen lore]], eventually securing a [[384YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_27|judgement]] from the [[General Assembly]] that recognised the practice of [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_Lucidian_Blasphemy_.2F_Auran_Idolatry|Lucidianism]] was neither heresy nor blasphemy as long as it did not lead to preaching [[Religious_crime#Desecration|desecration]].<br><br>After a great deal of argument, it appears that the majority of the Urizeni living at the Hall of the Newborn Sun have decided to stay in Morrow for the time being, perhaps establishing a new spire in Zenith in a generation or so once the place begins to feel a little cramped. But they still feel a connection to their former home, and keep a close eye on what is going on in the liberated land.</box></div>
With the Granite Pillar needed elsewhere, it fell to '''Isaac of the Silent Tide''', [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]], to deal with the last major [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|Druj miasma pillars]] in [[Zenith]]. They gathered a cadre of priests, exorcists, guardians, and cataphracts, and with a sack of [[liao]] proceeded to [[Zenith#Clypion|Clypion]] and destroyed the remaining pillars, completing the work of the [[Senate]] and '''General Asenath'''. As the Summer Solstice approaches, the last of the hateful miasma that still hung in tatters across the territory fades like early morning mist beneath the noonday sun of virtue.

Many Urizeni feel a sense of gratitude to the Highborn - a significant number of them are still alive because the armies of Highborn fought the advancing Druj to allow them time to flee west to Morrow. In particular, the [[questor|questors]] and [[illuminate|illuminates]] of the ''Hall of the Newborn Sun'' in [[Morrow]] have been tracking the destruction of the miasma pillars with interest. Now that they are gone, after almost a month of arguing, they have announced their intention to offer a gift of thanks to those who helped free the territory from the oppressive aura the pillars created. Unfortunately, they cannot reach an accord on who precisely to give it to.

The plan is proposed initially on the assumption it will be given to the Speaker of the Highborn Assembly; there's little doubt that the priests of Highguard have been heavily involved in removing the miasma. Then another faction argues that it is the Highborn generals who should be recognised - their commitment to freeing the people of Zenith was made very clear on numerous occasions. A third, roughly equivalent faction instead agree with the National Assembly [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_6|judgement]] that it was actually the Courage of the people of Urizen, and '''Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer''' especially, that ultimately allowed the Druj to be defeated; without that first victory there would have been no opportunity to remove the miasma at all. Others point to the general of the [[Citadel Guard]], or to the League generals whose timely aid bolstered the armies enough to win the war.

In the end, [[arbiter]] ''Aphrodias of the Newborn Sun'' steps in and puts an end to the argument. It's clear that everyone is in agreement that ''someone'' should be recognised for the fact the soul- and thought-destroying miasma is gone. Rather than split the temple, they call on the [[Conclave]] to decide exactly who gets that gift of recognition. A solution, it must be said, that makes everyone equally unhappy, and perhaps demonstrates why Aphrodias is able to keep their position as arbiter of a particularly argumentative spire.

The gift has been handed to the civil service, and its disposition is left to the [[declaration]] of [[Endowment]]. The Halls of the Newborn Sun ask that if at all possible the item be made ''regalia'' of an [[Imperial title]] rather than simply bestowed on an individual. They have suggested Speaker of the Highborn Assembly, or any of the Generals who fought in Zenith, but they understand the [[Net of the Heavens]] enough to know that the obvious person taking action is not always the person most instrumental in making that action take place. As such, if the gift is endowed on a citizen who does not have a title, or whose title is incidental to their role in helping remove the miasma from Zenith, then they will understand. They only ask that the declaration of Endowment make clear ''why'' their gift is being bestowed on the recipient. There is no immediate rush - the gift will remain in the hands of the civil service until it is endowed, or until the Conclave reject the gift (with a suitably worded Endowment or Concord).

It seems that the gift they are delivering is a rare piece of Urizen and Highborn history - one of the original three [[Atun's Ring|Atun's Rings]] given by the [[magister|magisters]] of Highguard to the [[mage|mages]] of Urizen during the earliest years of relations between the two nations developing diplomatically.

==A Sacred City==
{{SOP|statement=We show our virtue through deeds, not folly. The piling of stone in Bastion may suit the whims of Highguard, but we shall not let our own Prosperity or Pride suffer for its execution. We urge citizens of the League not to assist in the aggrandisement of the White City, except when through fair trade their own Prosperity might grow.|by=Fabio Costas de Sarvos|vote=Greater Majority 306-61|when=Spring Equinox 385YE}}
* '''The grand project to create a city dedicated to the Imperial interpretation of the Way to eclipse Timoj is still being discussed'''
* '''An inspirational design has not been settled on; the project cannot yet be commissioned'''
* '''The League National Assembly criticises the scheme, and may urge their people to have nothing to do with it'''
Following the [[appraisal]] commissioned during the Winter Solstice, a plan to [[Blood will thicken|build a wonder of the world]] at [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|Bastion]] was laid out. Before any work can begin, an inspiration of appropriate [[Blood_will_thicken#Scale_and_Grandeur|scale and grandeur]] is required. The virtuous [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Contest_of_Imagination|contest]] proposed by the Highborn [[chapter]] of ''Pharos' Water'' is ongoing; the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of the Nine]] has not yet issued a [[statement of principle]] indicating the design they think should serve as the basis for the grand project to rebuild Bastion as a beacon for the Imperial philosophy of the Way.

Not everyone, however, has welcomed the appraisal and discussion about this sacred city. The League National Assembly supported a statement of principle raised by '''Fabio Costas de Sarvos''', denouncing the entire scheme as unvirtuous and urging citizens of the League not to assist in the aggrandisement of the White City.
{{Mandate|mandate=This plan to aggrandize Bastion and the priests of Highguard is folly, and we will not let our Prosperity and Pride suffer for its execution. We send (named priest) with 25 liao to urge all citizens of the League to focus their attention on their own cities, not those of the Highborn.|assembly=League National Assembly}}
If this mandate were enacted, it would prevent any aid from the League towards the holy city in Bastion. Furthermore no statements of principle calling on the League to support building efforts outside of their own cities would result in an [[opportunity]] for at least the next year.

'''Dinah of Jeremiah's Welcome''' has offered an alternate mandate, using the [[Full_of_sacred_sound#Partner_of_Greatness|Partners of Greatness]] power, to the Highguard National Assembly.

{{Mandate|mandate=The Assembly of the League name our efforts to exalt Bastion to be ‘folly’, as if the construction of splendid cities were not the very deed their nation is founded on. Let us respond to this insult with Pride and demonstrate what we can do without the League's aid. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to remind our citizens why the founders of the League approached Bastion to discuss the White City's place in their nation, and why we declined.|assembly=Highborn National Assembly}}

If enacted this mandate would stop any work being done on the grand project of the Way if the design chosen was submitted by a citizen of the League.

==Virtue and Reward==
{{SOP|statement=Remodelling Bastion with a Grand Inspiration of the Way will be the work of ages and a legacy of our Empire. The sizeable resource investment required (1000 wains of white granite) means a collective effort will be required. We propose that the virtue fund is utilised to provide some of this and bring the project to a swifter completion. The project is not yet commissioned, but for something of this scale and obvious virtue Wisdom dictates we start preparing now.|by=Pontus Figures, Judgement of Rewarding|vote= 740-369|when=Spring Equinox 385YE}}
* '''The Constitutional Court has reviewed the status of titles that can remove money automatically from the Virtue Fund and identified an error'''
* '''The Seer of the Gateway, the Imperial Chaplain Consular, and the High Exorcist will lose their power to withdraw funds'''
* '''Administrative motions have been raised for the Saturday evening Senate Session to determine if the removed power will be replaced with a stipend'''
* '''The General Assembly, and the assemblies responsible for each title, may be able to secure additional support for these titles with statements of principle'''
On the subject of the sacred city... during the Spring Equinox '''Pontius Figures''' of the Words, Numbers, Figures, and Knotes organisation in [[Dawn]] raised a judgement of [[rewarding]] calling for a "''sizeable resource investment''" and a "''collective effort''" to provide the [[white granite]] needed. They proposed that the ''Virtue Fund'' be used to provide some of the money needed to buy resources, even though the project has not yet been commissioned. Indeed, they finished by suggesting that "''Wisdom dictates we start preparing now''" and there are several priests who agree with them. There's still [[Blood_will_thicken#No_Price_Is_Too_High|plenty of opportunity]] for individual National Assemblies to urge their nations to support the project if they wish, but it might not be impossible to arrange something with regard to the virtue fund that goes beyond a simple Rewarding. Before such a thing could happen, though, a well-worded statement of principle in the General Assembly that achieved a [[greater majority]] would be required.
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Words in the Head.jpg|align=left|caption=Thoughts and feelings are never virtuous or vile. It is only the actions that you undertake that demonstrate your worth.|width=600}}</div>
The rewarding does, however, focus the attention of the civil service to the Virtue Fund. [[Appraisal#Naomi_of_Virtue.27s_Rest|Naomi of Virtue's Rest]], the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|prognosticator]] who arranged the [[appraisal]] that led to the proposal of the Sacred City has been following discussions around the scheme with particular interest. While reviewing Imperial Synod records however, she noticed something that struck her as odd, and raised it with her superiors. Specifically, the fact that the [[Senate]] has given several [[Imperial title|Imperial titles]] the ability to automatically take money from the virtue fund through judgements of Rewarding that cannot be opposed. Is this constitutional, she innocently asks?

After weeks of argument, the Constitutional Court has been forced to admit that it is simply ''not'' constitutional on any level. Just as the Senate cannot create a title with votes in the Imperial Synod that is appointed by any house other than the Imperial Synod, so it was wrong for them to allow the Senate to give ''any'' Imperial title the ability to simply take funds from the Virtue Fund without the approval of the Imperial Synod. Those funds are the property of the Imperial Synod, the Senate cannot access them in this way. If the Senate wishes to reward a title with funds, they must do it from the [[Imperial treasury]] via a [[New_Imperial_titles#Stipend|stipend]], not take it from the resources of another house. The Court acknowledge their error, and apologise for not identifying this at the time and preventing it then.

The titles affected are the [[Seer of the Gateway#Withdraw Funds|Seer of the Gateway]] (5 Thrones), the [[Chaplain Consular#WithdrawFunds|Imperial Chaplain Consular]] (5 Thrones), and the [[High Exorcist#Withdraw Funds|High Exorcist]] (7 Thrones). Regardless of the amounts involved, it is simply not legal for the Imperial Senate to give an Imperial title the ability to take someone else's property in this way without any possibility for them to gainsay the decision. This situation cannot continue, and these powers to ''Withdraw Funds'' must be stripped from the titles, but they are keen that the titles involved not be "punished" for the Court's failure.

As such the civil service will be raising three [[Senate_motion#Administrative_Motions|administrative motions]] to amend each of the titles, allowing the Senate to vote on whether to provide them with a stipend following the normal rules for providing funding. If the Senate votes against the motion, the title receives nothing. If they vote in favour, they will have the usual ability to vote on how large the stipend should be. To give the citizens involved the opportunity to speak to their Senators and rally support from their assemblies, the Constitutional Court has requested that the administrative motions take place at the start of the Saturday evening session of the Senate. The [[Speaker_for_the_Senate|Office of the Speaker]] - the Civil Servants who support the Senate - has suggested that the three affected title holders could come to speak with them at [[Anvil#The Hub|the Hub]] on Friday evening to sort out how best to proceed and to offer advice or guidance as needed.

It is also possible that the Imperial Synod may choose to step in, and call for the people of the Empire to help support these titles. Suitably worded statements of principle that achieve a greater majority may lead to an [[opportunity]] to support one or more of the titles. This will be most likely if the Statement is raised in the General Assembly, but the Assembly of Nine might also be able to secure some support for the Seer of the Gateway and the High Exorcist, while the Assembly of the Way might be able to secure support for the Imperial Chaplain Consular. It's unlikely that a statement in a National or Virtue assembly would create a response ''unless'' the wording of the statement was clear about how the duties of the title supported the goals of the people of that nation, or of that virtue. It's also worth noting that there is nothing to stop anyone calling for support for one or more of these titles even though the Senate has agreed to provide them a stipend.

Regardless of what happens, the three titles will ''not'' be able to use the withdraw funds power going forward, and the Constitutional Court are clear they will allow no future titles to be granted the ability to take funds from the Synod. By extension, they would also not approve a title that could take mana from the Conclave font.
===OOC Design===
Following the last event we noticed there was a significant error on our part in allowing the Imperial Senate to give to titles the power to take money from the Virtue fund. Rather than fund these titles with the money they control, the Imperial treasury, the Senate was funding the titles with money they categorically do not control, the Virtue fund. It's a crucial part of our game that we put key limits in place on what the Imperial Senate can and cannot do, otherwise as the most powerful body in the game, there is a risk that all power ends up in the hands of senators. The idea that the Senate can give out the funds allocated to other houses is very bad for the game - so in-character it is completely unconstitutional and illegal for them to do that.

While we appreciate that the title holders will be disappointed to lose their access to the Virtue fund, it is important to be clear that that power should never have been allowed in the first place. It is fine that they have enjoyed the benefits for some time, the actual title holders have done nothing wrong. This is our error, not theirs - however we can't keep letting these tiles remove significant amounts of money from the Virtue fund without the approval of the Synod. The point of the virtue fund is for priests to argue over the disposition of funds, having someone able to remove the money without that element goes completely contrary to the game design.

We've presented the update here as part of a wind of fortune, but we want to be clear that this is a game update that we've made for OOC reasons around game design, and ongoing management of the game. We've included it as part of this wind of fortune because we want to provide in-character encouragement for the title holders to petition the Senate for the support the Senate indicated they should be getting and to create an opportunity for them to encourage the Imperial Synod to push for these titles to get additional support.

Obviously any Imperial priest can submit a judgement of rewarding, asking the Imperial Synod to authorise a disbursement from the Virtue fund for one or all of these titles. There is absolutely no problem with these titles being granted money from the Virtue fund by the Imperial Synod - but that has to be a decision the Synod takes each time, it cannot be something that Senate determines happens automatically.

==Further Reading==
* [[Pieces missing everywhere]] - 385YE Spring wind of fortune dealing with Highguard and response to their new direction
* [[Blood will thicken]] - 385YE Spring wind of fortune dealing with the appraisal leading to the sacred city proposal
* [[Full of sacred sound]] - 384YE Winter wind of fortune talking out the new abilities of the Highborn assembly

<ic>Captain Saul stared at the report with a sinking feeling. "There's no possibility this is a mistake?" he queried.

"I'm afraid not sir," said Ruth replied shaking her head. "All the evidence points to this. It's well hidden - we'd never have found the evidence if we hadn't spent the season scouting the area. And it's well-established, I dread to think how long it's been there but it's at least two years. We don't know exactly how they've done it, but they've definitely got some kind of well-organised espionage ring based here in Necropolis."

"How is that different to a spy network?" Saul queried. The report laid everything out in excruciating detail but he wanted to check his understanding before he reported to General Barachel.

"It's not one single location. We can't just find their headquarters and roll it up. This is a network of agents distributed across the territory. It will be much harder to root out the poison, assuming we even can. With a network, you can track the movements of scouts and other soldiers to work out where it's based from. They aren't using military scouts to operate this network, they're using merchants and money to get their information. It's probably more expensive but it's much more subtle and it'll be harder to counter."

Next he asked how long it had been happening to which she shook her head. "We can't be certain at this point," she caveated, "but we think that all things considered it ''probably'' started after the peace treaty was signed. It would be incredibly hard for them to send merchants to the Empire looking to buy information while we're at war with them, but we can't rule out that they've had agents - knowing or unknowing - in Necropolis for a long time."

"We let our guard down I suppose..." Saul mused. "Peace has always has a price, Emperor James taught us that," he said wistfully. He contemplated the report and tried to think what questions the general was going to throw at him. "How come we don't do this?" he asked, almost rhetorically.

Ruth shrugged. "Maybe the Grendel are just a lot more obsessed with spying on their enemies than we are Captain?" she guessed.</ic>

The final countdown

2026-08-06T12:01:25Z

GuiltyConscience: /* A Time To Sing */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:386YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>
"When Isaella slew the Mad Emperor, do you imagine she had no doubts? To take up arms against her friend? The man she had sworn a sacred oath to protect against all threats. Do you imagine that killing him was easy?"

"We don't praise Isaella for her skill with arms. We praise her because in the face of all her doubts she had the Courage to act! That is what it means to be a hero! Isaella understood what her actions would mean. She ''knew'' that slaying the Emperor would unleash chaos. She ''knew'' that it would mean her death. And ''still'', she did not hesitate. Faced with a thousand reasons to hesitate, to wait, to delay... she chose to ignore them all. She knew that inaction brings only shame and never victory."

"It is easy for us. Here. Now. After the fact. Now when the Mad Emperor is gone and long buried. When his legacy is dust, his supporters vanquished. Now it seems like there was never any other choice. We understand now - as ''only'' Isaella understood then - that all those doubts, those fears, they were just spectres sent to harry her soul. They were never real!"

"And so it will seem to our children. To our descendants. We, who will surely die if we take this path, will seem to them as if we made the only possible choice. They will not know our doubts. They will not understand our fears. History will see right through them. All that will remain after we are gone are the legends we leave."

"This is what it ''means'' to be a hero. To see not with the eyes of now - but to see as Isaella saw - to see with the eyes of history. Only then can you see what needs to be done."

"You! You at the back. Will you be Isaella?"</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 550px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=In the woods.jpg|caption=The Navarr face a decision that will shape the future of their nation.|align=leftt|width=550}}</div>{{audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoYPILf9WLk}}
==Overview==
At the Winter Solstice, '''Aniera of Exiles End''' used the [[Navarr]] [[Assembly#The_National_Assemblies|Assembly]] to ask the Navarr people for their opinion following [[A_thousand_years_of_longing|the work published on the vallorn]] and how to destroy it. Further statements followed next season from both the Navarr and [[Highguard]] with an eloquent call to action. ''"The grey pilgrims of Highguard and questing knights of Dawn did not join our cause simply to walk the trods for another thousand years."'' said '''Siân Eternal''', ''"It is time to act with wisdom and forethought but act nonetheless."'' The Highborn '''Doctor Lysimachus''' appeared to concur with that view and reminded Highguard that the vallorn was the greatest spiritual threat to the Empire, a pointed call back to the decision by the Empire to found the [[Grey pilgrim|grey pilgrims]] for the express purpose of combating the [[vallorn]].

There is widespread support for these views across the people of Navarr and Highguard, but the matter is not yet settled. There is a growing hope that after centuries, this could be the hour. Yet, there are voices in both lands that urge caution - it is very clear that the Empire ''can'' do this - that is not the same as saying they ''should'' do this.

There is always a choice.

Now Highguard and most especially the Navarr must make that choice. It is not an exaggeration to say that everything hinges on this. If the Empire chooses to begin the final war with the vallorn then nothing will ever be the same again. There can be no ducking this decision, it is too important, too momentous, too pressing. One way or another the Navarr and the Empire must decide.

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; gap; 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
{{SOPInner|statement=After 1000 years of work we have the answer to destroying the vallorn. The Navarr assembly now seeks the opinion of the Navarr people. Speak to your guides. We are listening. We shall publish our response next season.|vote=Greater Majority (404-18)|by=Aniera Exiles End, Navarr Assembly|when=385YE Winter Solstice}}
{{SOPInner|statement=It is time to stop seeing the vallorn as a dormant threat to be dealt with later. It is a danger that lies within our Empire's borders that holds countless bodies and souls. Most notably it keeps two exemplars, the founders of our nation, in torturous stasis. The grey pilgrims of Highguard and questing Knights of Dawn did not join our cause simply to walk the trods for another thousand years. They join us in the war to eradicate the ancient abomination and fulfil our Nations ambition to see the end of the vallorn for good. It is time to act with wisdom and forethought but act nonetheless.|vote=214-0|by=Siân Eternal, Navarr Assembly|when=385YE Spring Equinox|size=small}}
{{SOPInner|statement=While we Highborn are righteously committed to ensuring the Cold Sun is extinguished, we must not forget the other threats we still face and fight. While we focus on the Cold Sun on our doors and must prepare for Grendel on our shores, the vallorn remains the greatest spiritual threat to the Empire and is no dormant threat. We formed the grey pilgrims to aid Navarr to end this threat, not just keep it at bay for another 1,000 years for others to deal with. In accordance with Sian Eternals statement to Navarr, once the Cold Sun have been snuffed out, even as we keep an eye upon the Grendel, we return to ensuring the vallorn are eventually given a right permanent kicking in! When the time comes for just to act, whether sooner or later, we will act with certainty.|vote=332-0|by=Doctor Lysimachus, Highborn Assembly|when=385YE Spring Equinox|size=small}}
</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Choices have consequences.jpg|caption=To walk, or to cease walking and begin to fight?|align=right|width=600}}</div>
==A Time To Shine==
* '''The Navarr Assembly could use a mandate to commit the entire nation to the war against the vallorn'''
* '''This mandate could be enacted at the Summer Solstice or the Autumn Equinox'''
There is predictable cynicism from some quarters that the politics of [[Anvil]] will not favour the Navarr. When the [[Jotun]] threatened the Navarr holdings in [[Liathaven]], it was not the time. The [[territory]] fell to the barbarians, the [[steading|steadings]] destroyed, the people slaughtered. When the vallorn in [[Brocéliande]] was vulnerable for the first time in a generation, it was not the time and a vital chance to weaken the vallorn was lost. The situation at the moment is difficult, nobody denies it - the Jotun are attacking in the West, the [[Druj]] have just invaded [[Therunin]] and the [[Grendel]] are not yet defeated in the South. There is a widespread belief that the powers that be will look to the [[Military Council]] and they will say... it is not the time. The Navarr will be told that it must make this sacrifice for the good of the Empire, as if they have not been sacrificing everything for the good of the Empire for the best part of four centuries.

It is not enough to give in to cynicism says ''Maddoc of the Fleeting Star Striding'', who claims that the Military Council could be persuaded to support attempts to join the hearts. If the vallorn in Liathaven exploded forth from its dark heart, it would pose an enormous problem for the Jotun who would be forced to divert armies to try and oppose any Westward expansion. Likewise, if the heart in the [[Sarangrave]] were triggered, it would spell disaster for the Druj - they would have to pull back some or all of their armies to contain it. Triggering the vallorn is guaranteed to radically alter the Empire's military position - but it's not guaranteed to make it ''worse''.

Unable to settle these arguments, people look with optimism to their leaders at Anvil to settle this matter once and for all. Can it be done? The will among the Navarr is there - people are ready to sacrifice everything for this. To give up everything, to commit everything. But is now the right time? The people trust their leaders to make that decision.

Once made that decision will be difficult to turn back. Beginning the final war against the vallorn would be transformative for the Navarr. Their stridings would no longer need to walk the [[trods]]... There would be no more need to weaken the vallorn one step at a time anymore. That would mean all those Navarr warriors would become available to take up the fight. It's impossible to predict the changes that will follow such a decision but nothing will be the same.

The people of Navarr are looking to their leaders at Anvil for an answer; the priests of Navarr could use a [[mandate]] in the Assembly to seize this moment:
{{Mandate|mandate=We march to war! We send {named priest} with 200 liao to urge every Navarr to remember the oaths they swore. Let us eradicate the ancient abomination and fulfil our nation's ambition to see the end of the vallorn for good.|assembly=Navarr Assembly}}
If this mandate is enacted, then most of the stridings will stop walking the trods and return home in preparation for the final battle to begin. There will be a huge swell of enthusiasm as people from across the nation embrace the coming fight. As a result, the number of [[Army|armies]] that the Navarr can [[Army#Maximum_numbers_of_Imperial_Forces|maintain]] will increase from three to six.

Almost every Navarr will commit themselves fully to the coming war. The Navarr have always had a somewhat singular focus; this mandate will strengthen that resolve. In the seasons that follow, there will be far fewer opportunities like the recent proposal to build new [[The way home|wayhouses]]; instead every effort will be made to find [[opportunity|new opportunities]] to gain the upper hand in the struggle against the vallorn.

At the first stage, the Navarr scouts will seek to identify opportunities to place the trods in [[Sarangrave#Béantal Dol|Béantal Dol]] in Sarangrave, and in Kabanja and Visokuma in [[Axos]]. Once [[The Dance of Navarr and Thorn]] is cast in these three territories, then the final war against the vallorn will begin. When that happens, there will be no going back. The castings will need to be timed right - to ensure the Druj and Axou can't simply take them down before the network of trods is complete - but nobody said this would be ''easy''.

By enacting this mandate, the Assembly is confirming that it is the settled will of the leaders of the Navarr that the nation begin the war against the vallorn at the soonest available opportunity. It may not happen immediately, but the final countdown will have begun. Once that decision is made, the Navarr will expect their leaders to see it through, to be entirely committed to the imminent war against the vallorn. In return they will offer their own absolute commitment, seeking out ways to help the long dream of the Navarr to become a reality.

==A Time To Stay==
* '''The Navarr Assembly could use a mandate to tell the nation to stay their hand'''
* '''This mandate could be enacted at the Summer Solstice or the Autumn Equinox'''
Not every Navarr is persuaded that now is the time to act. It is easy to urge people to have the [[Courage]] of their convictions, easy to be swept up by the siren call of history, easy to decry those who urge caution. ''"I always pause for thought before I act,"'' says ''Dai Summers'' rhetorically, ''"what do you do?"''.

What if now is ''not'' the right time? What if starting the final war with the vallorn now results in the destruction of the Empire? What if everyone dies and the Navarr have to begin the whole thing all over again. It has taken centuries to get to this point - why not wait a few more decades? Right now it seems like everything would hang in the balance - why not wait until things are in the Navarr's favour.

It will be hard for people to accept that now is not the time, but they trust the [[Wisdom]] of the Navarr at Anvil. Every thorn wants to be [[Isaella]] - everyone wants to be a hero. But sensible people must know that the most important thing is to ''win''. The Navarr are looking to their leaders at Anvil for an answer. The priests of Navarr could use a mandate in the Assembly to seize this moment:
{{Mandate|mandate=Actions have consequences. We send {named priest} with 100 doses of liao to remind Navarr that first we must prepare for malice. We will not start this war until the outcome is certain.|assembly=Navarr Assembly}}
If this mandate is enacted, then people will be disappointed but they will accept it. The knowledge of how to defeat the vallorn is not going away. The final battle might not happen for a generation - but people can use that time to prepare, to make ready, to ensure that when the moment comes their descendants can strike with the certainty that the path to victory has been prepared.
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blood for Poppies.jpg|caption=The vallorn has lasted a thousand years; there is no sign that it cannot endure for another thousand.|align=left|width=600}}</div>
The mandate will ''still'' produce significant changes. Stridings will continue to walk the trods as they have done since the Navarr began, but where before the Navarr would risk much to seize any chance for an advantage over the vallorn, now they will go out of their way to avoid it. There is no point in risking lives on foolish ventures when it is settled that now is not the time. Better to husband their strength and prepare.

In the seasons that follow, there will be far more opportunities like the recent proposal to build new [[The way home|wayhouses]] but at the cost of [[opportunity|new opportunities]] to deal with the vallorn. The ancient enemy will be left to slumber in its dark hearts - the Navarr will turn their focus to strengthening their nation and the Empire. In many ways it will be like a dry run for the future - a decade without ever having to worry about the vallorn will be a kind of preparation for when the day dawns that there is no vallorn.

This means, the Navarr will stop actively attacking the vallorn and focus their efforts on finding ways to strengthen the nation in preparation for the future. The issue of going to war against the vallorn will be settled for a decade in the minds of the Navarr npcs in favour of preparation. There won't be any new [[opportunity|opportunities]] to push the line against the vallorn in the coming years, there will be opportunities to make Navarr stronger instead. That won't change for a decade unless players make a way to join all the vallorn hearts to the trod network,

==Your Darkened Land==
* '''There will be a catastrophic loss of confidence in the leadership of the Navarr if neither mandate is passed before the end of the Autumn Equinox'''

The people of the Navarr are looking to their leaders to make the most momentous decision any Navarr has made since the fall of Terunael, since Navarr and Thorn swore the first oaths. They understand how difficult it will be to make this decision. None-the-less there is no-one else who can make this judgement. Only the leaders at Anvil know what the Senate could be persuaded of. Only they know what the Military Council can be persuaded of. Only they can know what [[the Throne]] really thinks. People are relying on their leaders to step up at this moment and make the decision one way or the other.

The Navarr people will give their leaders time, but only a little. If the Navarr cannot make the decision in the next two seasons, if the National Assembly does not enact either mandate before the end of the Autumn Equinox. If they can't make up their mind whether to fight the vallorn or to wait a generation and use that time to prepare before winter comes, then there will be a catastrophic loss of confidence in the Navarr leadership. Every personal resource in the nation will suffer a two rank penalty to their production for the next year as a result.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Highborn council.jpg|caption=What does it mean that the vallorn is the greatest spiritual threat to the Empire?|align=right|width=600}}</div>
==A Time To Sing==
* '''The Highborn Assembly could use a mandate to commit those dedicated to destroying the vallorn to the fight'''
* '''This mandate could be enacted at the Summer Solstice or the Autumn Equinox'''

The Highborn have been unequivocal on the matter of the vallorn - their assembly has repeatedly called it the greatest spiritual threat the Empire has ever faced. The grey pilgrims were founded to support the Navarr by taking up the burden of walking the trods. They gave up their comfortable lives in Highguard to commit themselves to a task that at the time seemed interminable. Now it seems that the timing was simply apposite - fated even.

Like the Navarr, the Highborn Assembly could embrace the chance to begin the war against the vallorn. Like the Navarr this choice will have a profound impact on the nation. It is not just that there will be no more need to walk the trods; the start of the war with the vallorn will invite the Highborn to consider other changes too. Is now the time to be building the [[Blood will thicken|Grand Inspiration of the Way]] in [[Bastion]] when the survival of the very Empire may be at stake? It's difficult to predict what quandaries such a decision will raise, if the Highborn pass this mandate.

{{Mandate|mandate=There is no sacrifice so great that we cannot meet it to defeat this terror. We send {named priest} with 200 liao to urge every Highborn to prepare for the coming battle. No price is too high to realise our dreams.|assembly=Highborn Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then the grey pilgrims will stop walking the trods and return home in preparation for the final battle to begin. As a result, the number of armies that the Highborn can support will increase from three to four.

The Highborn nation are committed to defeating the vallorn but they don't have the singular focus of the Navarr. Their nation was not literally founded to achieve this outcome. Even so, this mandate will strengthen the resolve that led to the creation of the grey pilgrims. In the seasons that follow, there will be fewer opportunities like the recent proposal to [[Drumbeat_of_war#The_Way_is_Clear|convert the Asaveans]]; instead every effort will be made to find [[opportunity|new opportunities]] to gain the upper hand in the struggle against the vallorn.

By enacting this mandate, the Assembly is confirming that the virtuous thing to do is to be begin the war against the vallorn at the first opportunity to do so. Once that decision is made, it will be difficult to persuade Highguard to turn aside no matter what any other nation in the Empire says. The Way of Virtue makes few allowances for those who would cower from the path they have chosen when the storms blow. If the Highborn Assembly commits the nation to the war with the vallorn, if they declare that now is the moment to strike, then every Virtuous citizen in the nation will expect them to stick to the course. The decision will create many opportunities to bring the grand plan [[A_thousand_years_of_longing|outlined in the vallorn research]] to fruition. Once that decision is made, the Highborn will expect their leaders to see it through, to be entirely committed to the imminent war against the vallorn. In return they will offer their own absolute commitment, seeking out ways to bring the greatest spiritual threat to the Empire to an end.

The will of the virtuous cannot be denied.

==A Time To Live==
* '''The assemblies of other nations could use a statement of principle to make their nation's position clear'''
Most Navarr agree that if this is to happen, it will not be done by the Navarr alone. Was it not for this reason that the Navarr gave their hearts and bodies and souls to the project of the Empire in the first place? Was it not for this that Myfanwy and those that followed her joined with the [[First Empress]] to spread the word of what would become the Imperial dream? The issue is pressing for the Highborn Assembly and demands an answer from the Navarr Assembly, but the other nations have yet to speak clearly. Perhaps there is time yet for Navarr guides and others to persuade their allies to rally to their cause.

There are no mandates for the other assemblies, but any of the nation assemblies could use a [[statement of principle]] to respond to this dramatic moment. Statements that get a greater majority that urge clear, concrete action on the vallorn - one way or the other - are more than likely to lead to a mandate to commit the nation to a course of action.
==Timing==
* '''The mandates detailed here can be raised at the Summer Solstice or the Autumn Equinox'''
Unlike traditional mandates, those available to the Navarr and Highborn Assemblies listed here can be enacted at either the Summer Solstice or the Autumn Equinox. After that, the opportunities will be lost.
{{Vallorn links}}

The cities and the city

2026-08-06T12:00:38Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:385YE Autumn]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
<ic>"Empress Varkula sadly passed over two hundred years ago. I know there are people who want her to come back-" Jemima was not expecting to be interrupted.

"It's not about wanting her to come back!" said one of the younger wise ones hotly. "The sovereigns are rising in Varushka, and if she is a sovereign then that might mean she is rising too!"

"Please. Listen to me. The Empress died. She will come back in time - most likely she has already come back - but not as some strange monster of the cursed hills and dark woods. As a human being, reborn after her time in the Labyrinth, assuming that her virtue in life did not allow her to transcend and become a paragon and we just haven't realised it yet."

One of the wise ones crossed their arms, while another adjusted his shawl. The third was having none of it.

"We are here from Varushka because while you know a lot about tending tombs, ''we'' are the people who know about sovereigns and the terrible powers they wield! And we are telling you we ''must'' be allowed into the tomb!"

The steward crossed her own arms. She made eye contact briefly with Temovich. She knew the old woman very mildly, having shared the occasional coffee and pastry with them in the park near the tomb. The wise one shrugged her eyebrows apologetically at her companion's rash words. But her serious expression did not alter.

"I know you're concerned." Jemima was keeping her temper by remembering that these people were simply being Vigilant. They had identified a possible threat and were investigating, and she could not fault them for that. Even if they were wrong. "But you cannot enter the tomb of the Empress. Not least because there are few things more commonly associated with a sudden haunting than defilement of the resting place. Especially after all this time."

"I am telling you -"

"No ''I'' am telling ''you''." The steward of the dead had had enough. "You are not going into the tomb today, or any other day. There is no sign whatsoever that anything untoward is happening here. Your worries are your own business until such time as you can bring me anything other than unformed conjecture to suggest that the risks of not doing so outweigh the incredible ''disrespect'' you would be causing to the Empress. There is nothing more to be said!"

He opened his mouth to say something more, but she turned away. He sputtered a little, and she heard Temovich and the man in the shawl talking quietly and soothingly to him.

"Excuse me," said a new voice. She turned slightly to find three orcs hovering a little nervously at the bottom of the steps. They were Imperial Orcs of the Sunstorm sept, here with the Winter Sun, by their dress.

"I'm sorry, yes. Can I help you?"

They exchanged glances, and their spokesman gave her a worried smile.

"We were wondering if we might be able to get into the tomb?" he said. "We've reason to believe there's a lost item of worth in there and we would like to reclaim it for the people of Skarsind, or the people of Highguard, or possibly the people of Varushka, depending on what it is?"

Jemima started to count to ten inside her head and took a deep breath.</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Endeavours.png|caption=Inspiration for the grand endeavour has been provided, the ground is being cleared, the first white granite towers begin to rise.|align=left|width=600}}</div>{{audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im4AhWgyURw}}
==Overview==
[[The League]] is not the only nation with cities. The [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]] and the [[Necropolis#The_Necropolis|Black]] were old when [[Sarvos]] and the rest were open fields. Many of the concerns of city folk are the same the world over, and this season highlights those similarities. Malevolent heralds, worries about dark powers, the quest for items of [[worth]], concern about what one's neighbours are doing. There is a commonality between the Highborn. and their siblings in the League. Nor are Imperial citizens the only builders, of course. People everywhere, of all kinds, are drawn together like filings to a magnet. Even the Druj, it seems, build communities - if the tales of the sprawling chaos that is the city of Leen are to be believed. The [[Valiant Pegasus]] fights in the [[Salt Flats of Sanath]] and urges the soldiers of Highguard, and their allies, to remember that, though they walk the road through the heartlands of [[the Mallum]], they are here as liberators, not conquerors.

==Necropolis: Worth==
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Skywise Rykana, General of the Winter Sun">Heroes of the Winter Sun, long have we bled to raise up our Kin from the bonds of slavery but now we move to lift up ourselves. We march for Necropolis leaving a trail of broken chains behind us, to open our minds to the revelations of the day. As we rest and ready for the storm to come, listen to your ancestors and their guidance to seek out items of worth, reclaim our lost histories, and discover the worth of those deserving of remembrance</quote></div>
* '''Inspired by Day Magic, and the conjunction of the Lock and the Key, the Winter Sun has sought out items of worth in Necropolis'''
Following the Summer Solstice, the [[Imperial Orcs]] of the [[Winter Sun]] march south from [[the Barrens]] to [[Necropolis]]. They are here to rest, and to ready for the coming war with the [[Grendel]]. Yet that is not their only reason for being here. A unique [[enchantment]] of [[Day magic]] has been laid upon them, designed to focus and augment the effects of [[Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths]]. It allows scouts and soldiers associated with the [[orc]] army to seek out lost items of [[worth]] and urges the soldiers to encourage other Imperial Orcs in the area to recall the presence of lost items of their own. It empowers them to find things thought lost to the nation through misadventure, death in battle, or even things they themselves did not lose but an ancestor might have had. The power seems to function at least in part thanks to the last lingering power of the [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] [[Ruin#The_Lesser_Conjunction|conjunction]] of [[the Lock]] and [[the Web]].

Almost immediately it becomes clear that the majority of the items of worth in Necropolis either belong to the Highborn, or are interred in the tombs of the [[Necropolis#The_Necropolis|Black City]], and belong to the dead. The ritual does not differentiate between items that might have worth for the orcs - it seems to draw attention to any object that has a long history and in Necropolis this is a truly astonishing number of items. This makes some sense to Imperial Orcs and Highborn magicians alike - the magic of the Day realm is unlikely to be able to discern the numinous quality of "worth" but in conjunction with the Imperial enchantment and the conjunction could help identify items whose history hangs heavy around them and [[Skein of Years|could be read]] - much as the [[Detect_magic#Divination|detect magic]] spell does.

There are also few Imperial Orcs in the territory to encourage to find items of their own - only a few dozen pilgrims visiting the tomb of [[Emperor Ahraz]], or the more recent memorials for Imperial orc heroes interred alongside the other champions of the Empire. The [[Highguard_religious_beliefs#Stewards_of_the_dead|stewards of the dead]] answer questions, and listen with a great deal of interest to stories of worth and what it means to the Imperial Orcs. For many of them this is the first time they have had an opportunity to learn about the concept, and many are fascinated, especially when talk turns to matters of the [[Worth#Imperial Relics|Imperial relics]] - the weapons and armour donated to the first legions by the Highborn. They won't provide access to burial places, however, and in all honesty few Imperial Orcs even ask. The idea of graverobbing to recover items of worth proves unpalatable.

This isn't to say the magic is wasted, not entirely. There are people in Highguard who have the kind of items of worth that would be valuable to the Imperial Orcs. A few are relics of the shameful past - reminders of the centuries that Highguard saw [[orc|orcs]] purely as creatures to be slain or enslaved. When an orc requests the return of such items, few refuse. The [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_7|inspiring words]] of ''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum''' are still plain in the Highborn peoples' minds. There are also several items that have a less sorrowful history; gifts given to battlefield-allies by dying Imperial Orc soldiers. Most of these are kept as mementos by the Highborn to whom they were entrusted, a reminder of a staunch ally or friend, but in some cases they too are surrendered to the Imperial Orcs especially when the meaning of worth is explained. In each case, they are handed over with stories of how and why they came into the possession of the Highborn, further cementing their identity as items of worth.

Some of these items are given to [[general]] Rykana, but most are either kept by the soldiers who find them - eager to help build their legend and that of the object. Many are also sent back to [[Skarsind]], to the [[Weigher_of_Worth#The_Halls_of_Worth|Halls of Worth]], so the [[Imperial_Orcs_magical_traditions#Oathwrights|oathwrights]] can find new champions to carry them and be inspired by them.
===Participation===
Ribbons will be provided to the General of the Winter Sun, the Imperial Orcs whose [[military unit|military units]] supported the army, and to the [[Weigher of Worth]] at the start of the event. Any Imperial Orc or Highborn character who was in Necropolis this season for any reason can create a story about items of worth, and interactions with members of the other nation. Any steward of the dead in particular is encouraged to read over the [[worth]] page, to get a feel for what the Imperial Orcs might have explained to them, while any Imperial Orc is encouraged to review the Necropolis page, and the explanation of the role played by the [[Highguard_religious_beliefs#Stewards_of_the_dead|stewards of the dead]].

This enchantment is the result of an [[arcane projection]], and drew power in part from the lesser conjunction of things [[the Lock|being hidden]] and [[the Key|revealed]], as well as from the Imperial enchantment. It's unlikely that the exact same confluence of factors will come together again any time soon, so similar effects will not be possible in the future.

==Necropolis: Varkula==
{{SOP|statement=At the request of the Imperial Necromancer and due to our shared concerns we ask Father Drakov be given access to the Tomb of the Iron Empress, Varkula." Sovereigns are rising across Varushka. In the name of Vigilance and Wisdom we must check the seals on her tomb and the veracity of rumours that she has risen.|by=Father Drakov|vote=Greater Majority 346-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}
* '''The Varushkan national assembly has asked to explore the tomb of Empress Varkula'''
* '''There is no sign of anything untoward in the tomb'''
The Imperial orcs are not the only people interested in relics and tombs in Necropolis. During the Summer Solstice, the [[Varushka|Varushkan]] National Assembly upheld a [[statement of principle]] by '''Father Drakov''' that expressed the concerns of the [[Imperial Necromancer]] that [[Empress Varkula]] might somehow have risen as a [[Varushkan_Monster#Sovereigns|sovereign]]. A small delegation of [[Varushka religious beliefs|Wise ones]] in Necropolis - some resident and some making the long trip south especially - speak with the stewards of the dead and the guardians of the tomb.

There is absolutely no evidence of anything untoward around the tomb. It is as sealed as it ever was, and since the [[Come back to stay|mild disturbances]] in Spring 382YE, there has been nothing else to raise any concern among the stewards. Requests to break open the tomb are met with polite refusal. The idea that an Imperial Empress might turn out to be some kind of awful unliving horror akin to the [[Charnel Lord]] or [[Dho'uala]] is viewed by several of the stewards as quite offensive. Furthermore, even if for some reason a malevolent entity were to arise in the tomb, there are [[Burial rites of Empress Varkula|precautions]] to provide warnings of such an event.

Without ''significant'' evidence that some serious threat resides inside the tomb, the stewards absolutely have no interest in allowing anyone to disturb the rest of [[the Throne]] interred within. They thank the wise ones for their concern, but reassure them that if anything ''does'' happen at the tomb they will be the first to seek out the expertise of their Varushkan siblings in addressing that threat.

'''OOC Note:''' There is no sign of any threat from Empress Varkula's tomb; attempts to gain access will not lead to opportunities. This includes statements of principle: the stewards of the dead will refuse any suggestion from their own assembly that the tombs be broken into. Breaking into one of the tombs at the Necropolis would be seen as a shocking trespass by the people of Highguard, and indeed by many other Imperial nations, even if the [[Senate]] were to command it. If there was an active plot regarding Empress Varkula - or anyone else interred in the Necropolis - then opportunities would be presented to interact with it, but right now that is not the case.
{{CaptionedImage|file=SeventhWave_Colour.png|align=left|width=300}}

==Necropolis: Espionage==
* '''The Grendel espionage network in Necropolis has been broken'''
* '''Grendel plans have been examined, revealing a threat to the Necropolis itself'''
* '''Highborn businesses in Necropolis no longer receive additional money from the visiting Grendel Armada'''
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=The Highborn national assembly appeals to the citizens of Necropolis. We call citizens to come forward to tell the Seventh Wave and accompanying priests what information was given to the Grendel. We need to know the level of danger we are in. The National Assembly want to assure the people they will be treated fairly and in accordance to Imperial law. Some Highborn priests will accompany the army to ensure this loyalty to your siblings is worth more than coin in your pocket. There is a path for redemption for unvirtuous deeds though recognising your loyalties.|by=Abraham|vote=Greater Majority 695-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=Vigilance teaches us to seek out falsehood and reveal the truth. We send Isaac of the Silent Tide with 50 doses of liao to urge the unconquered and the priests of our nation to help the Seventh Wave root out the poison in our fields.|by=Mandate, Isaac of the Silent Tide|vote=Greater Majority 834-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Barachel of Adina's Charge, General of the Seventh Wave">We act in Vigilance, but let us remember our loyalties. While the bulk of our force resupplies, our unconquered act to quietly wrap up the Grendel's Espionage ring. A number of our citizens will be called to interview, with neither tea nor biscuits. Some, perhaps unknowingly, are traitors. But only some. And those that are, may yet find their honour to repent and redeem themselves</quote></div>
The [[Vigilance]] of the [[Seventh Wave]] has been rewarded by the [[Rings_and_crowns#Eyes_of_the_Basilisk|revelation of an espionage ring]] in Necropolis. The Highborn national assembly sent '''Isaac of the Silent Tide''' to [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Mandate#Judgement_28|support the army]] in rooting out the spies with as little disruption as possible. The power of the [[Shining like fire|Imperial enchantment currently infusing the Empire]] provides subtle assistance as well, particularly when it comes to uncovering hidden evidence or securing documents the spies might rather see destroyed.

It becomes clear that there are precious few Highborn who have intentionally sold secrets to the Grendel. Most of those who have provided information to the barbarians are doing so unwittingly, or without due consideration of the consequences. With Isaac urging people to consider the behaviour of their friends and enemies, and the assurance that those who have misstepped will not be punished, and the vigilant unconquered following up the leads they uncovered last season, the espionage ring is rolled up.

The Grendel involved are ejected from Highguard, and the magistrates work with the Highborn to differentiate those who have committed treason from those who have made mistakes. There is comparatively little disruption in the territory as a consequence, although it does put an end to the [[Shallow days|trade arrangements]] between Highborn merchants and Grendel originally [[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement 112|endorsed by the assembly]]. Highborn [[business|businesses]] no longer receive [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_interlude#Visiting_Armada|additional trade]].

In the process of rolling up the espionage ring in Necropolis, there are several opportunities to actually capture information that might prove of use. The most obvious thing discovered by the soldiers and priests is that the Grendel spymasters are apparently in turmoil. None of them saw the [[Windfall|betrayal of the Apulian orcs]] coming. The Council of the Salt Lords must now face the fact that one of their own has defected to the Imperial side - someone who was privy to many of their plans for the coming war with the Empire. They are now having to change those plans... or not. According to some of the documents recovered before the Grendel spies could destroy them, some of the Salt Lords are arguing that changing the plan is exactly what the Empire would expect - that the attack on [[Sarvos]] should go ahead as planned and catch Imperial armies by surprise. In the end it is clear that they have not yet made up their mind what they are going to do: an attack is coming, but the Council of Salt Lords have not yet chosen a target.

There's also some disturbing notes that talk about an agreement with the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean Plenum]]. It's an open secret that the Asaveans are offering support to the Grendel in their upcoming war with the Empire - and equally an open secret that the Plenum wants revenge for the [[Mosaic|raid on Chalonsio]]. The Asaveans are demanding the destruction of an Imperial city as the only way to regain their pride, and propitiate their bitter gods. The most likely targets are Sarvos, obviously, but also [[Madruga#Siron|Siroc]] - and there are plenty of hints in the recovered documents that the Grendel would prefer to sacrifice Siroc to the Asaveans' bloodlust and take Sarvos for themselves - but if push comes to shove, and their alliance is on the line, who knows which way the Grendel will jump?

The majority of the intelligence recovered, however, hints at the Grendel plans for Necropolis. They have been mapping military targets and defensible locations - they definitely have a map of the territory that could be used for scrying and know the details of any army that has been stationed here in the last three years up until the start of the Autumn Equinox. The main target of any attack on the territory, however, will be the Necropolis itself. The Grendel are ''itching'' to despoil the tombs of the dead Thrones and the heroes of the Empire, and the general consensus is that such an attack would be a serious blow against the morale not only of Highguard but of the Empire as a whole. Raiding most likely wouldn't be sufficient - a Grendel army would need to occupy the region of [[Necropolis#Coursmouth|Coursmouth]] to have the time and access needed to break into the tombs. If they did, they would potentially leave the city ruined: hundreds of memorials defaced, grave goods stolen, and at least some of the bodies taken away. There's still no explanation as to what the Grendel wanted with the body of [[Empress Giselle]], for example. While the League were able to move her corpse far north, and inter her in the [[Guardian_of_Giselle%27s_Tomb#Virtue.27s_Respite|garish new tomb]] in [[Temeschwar]], there is no chance whatsoever that the other tombs of the Thrones could be relocated - never mind the mausoleums, cenotaphs, and memorials inhabited by the Empire's heroes.

The Grendel spies have identified that if they want to raid the Necropolis they will need to take and hold either [[necropolis#Sanctuary Sands|Sanctuary Sands]] or [[Redoubt#Naris|Naris]] in [[Redoubt]]. Obviously [[Necropolis#Reumah.27s_Rest|Reumah's Rest]] protects Sanctuary Sands, so it will be no easy task. The Grendel must also be aware that an Imperial counterattack against a weak holding in one of these regions might leave their army trapped in Coursmouth - although that will be scant comfort to the people of Necropolis - or the Empire.


===A Second Ring===
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=The substance known as blue lotus or Ocean's Caress, which prevents the user from using liao, is being produce in Asavea. They are using the proceeds from the sale of this drug to fund their war on the Empire and their slaving practices. We call on the virtuous to not purchase it. Do not let our Prosperity fund our enemies.|by=Eskae Crowspeaker|vote=1200-12|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
* '''Thanks to a tip-off from unnamed agents, a major smuggling ring has been ended'''
While the major focus of the Seventh Wave is on the Grendel spies, there is another ring at work in Necropolis it seems. During the Summer Solstice, heroes from [[Anvil]] apparently used the [[Sentinel Gate]] to investigate a well-secured smuggling ring operating out of [[Necropolis#Longbeach|Crown's Quay]]. A group of [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[corsair|corsairs]], acting on behalf of a [[Madruga|Madrugan]] magistrate, apparently identified a pivotal Grendel smuggler and their Imperial accomplices, and provided a thorough package of evidence which was used not only to arrest the smugglers in Necropolis, but also to deal with several agents in Siroc. The Grendel in Necropolis was further implicated in a fire at a local tavern, and if not for the quick thinking of a second group of Imperial heroes several historic dockside buildings might have been gutted.

With the aid of the Seventh Wave, there's no doubt that the smugglers have been dealt with, but there is still a matter of mild concern. Along with traditional small items that could be moved easily, the Grendel were also selling shipments of an Asavean narcotic called ''Ocean's Caress'' into the Empire. The substance itself is not illegal - but bringing it into the Empire without paying the appropriate [[tariffs]] - which are not insignificant when they involve trade with slavers such as the Grendel and the Asaveans - certainly is! People are being urged to be on the look-out for the substance - a thick blue liquid that causes feelings of relaxation and peculiar dreams - and if they have any suspicion that it has been brought into the Empire illegally, report those suspicions to a magistrate. By all accounts, concerns about this particular narcotic have also been raised by '''Eska Crowspeaker''' the [[Voice of Liberty]], although at this time the greater majority of the General Assembly were not moved to support the judgement.

==Sarvos: Agents==
<div style="float:right; width: 530px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;"><quote by="Jean d'Apulian, General of the Wolves of War">Our bravos have done what none have done before by "conquering" Spiral in a single season. We have fought ourselves to bloody tatters in the east and it's time to cut loose and celebrate. Let the bravos off the chain to blow off steam in the docks and bordellos with a raucous piss-up that will go down in legend, ready for any foolish enough to try and break it up.</quote></div>

* '''With the aid of the Wolves of War, the Shuttered Lantern have located an espionage network in Sarvos'''
* '''Rolling up the espionage ring still represents a challenge'''
<div style="float:right; width: 530px; clear: right;"><quote by="Grandmaster Tyburn Weaver of the Shuttered Lantern">Conclave asks the Shuttered Lantern to tear the veil and reveal the hidden hand of the Grendel and any other threat to the Empire in the territory of Sarvos. We will expose the espionage rings, spy networks, and other information gathering tools of our enemies. Where possible we hope to neutralise the threat.</quote></div>
Where there is one espionage ring, there are likely others. The Shuttered Lantern, with the support of the Imperial Conclave, have set themselves the task of tracking down espionage agents in the city of Sarvos. Again supported by the Imperial enchantment, they are able to carefully track down a number of individuals who have connections with the Grendel, observe them, and begin to get a feel for the orcs' operations in the territory. They are also helped by the fact the Wolves of War are resting and recuperating in the city. Members of the Shuttered Lantern work with soldiers from the army, taking advantage of their knowledge of the city and the surrounding terrain, their military experience, and their willingness to work with others especially if there is money on the table.

There is indeed an espionage ring at work here, but there's no sign it is connected to the one in Necropolis, or organised in the same way. It seems the Grendel spymasters are maintaining separation between their various operations, meaning that even if one is identified and rolled up, the others will not be compromised. What they ''are'' able to do however is confirm that there are definitely espionage rings in [[Madruga]], [[Redoubt]], [[Tassato]], and [[Spiral]]. The theoretical is now certain.

Much as with the Necropolis espionage ring, however, the majority of the agents here are humans rather than orcs. Most of the "agents" are League citizens providing what seems to them to be slightly dubious or criminal information in return for coin. The Grendel are not barbarians after all, and until recently there were plenty of people who assumed the peace treaty would continue for years to come. Not every agent is an Imperial, however. A key piece of intelligence gathered by the Shuttered Lantern comes when an Apulian Orc identifies an apparent [[bravo]] on the docks who they recognise from [[Bay_of_Catazar#Vorlach|Vorlach]] as a vassal of Salt Lord Moorvain. They were carousing with off-duty soldiers from the [[Wolves of War]], wheedling their way into their confidence by spending coin freely to buy drink and drugs. This leads to a group of other humans who, while pretending to be Sarvosans, are actually disguised agents of the Salt Lords.

By the Autumn Equinox, the Shuttered Lantern has a rough map of the web of agents in [[Sarvos#Bocche|Boche]], [[Sarvos#Cigno|Cigno]], and [[Sarvos#Uccelini|Uccelini]]. This presents an obvious problem - the best way to deal with the espionage ring would be to move against agents in each of the three regions simultaneously, but that might prove a challenge for the Shuttered Lantern alone.
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderShutteredLantern.jpg|title=Order of the Shuttered Lantern|align=right|width=175}}
===Lanterns===
* '''A Declaration of Concord could be used to commit the Shuttered Lantern to dealing with the espionage ring'''
* '''The resources required would cost the Imperial Conclave 60 crystal mana from next seasons' font'''
The Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern could use a [[Declaration]] of [[Concord]] to ask the Conclave to support them in dealing with the espionage ring in Sarvos themselves. This would require a commitment of mana - the magicians in Sarvos estimate it will take 60 crystal mana in addition to their own resources. It will not be necessary to do a separate [[Endowment]] - the resources will come directly from the font for Winter Solstice, provided the Conclave supports the Shuttered Lantern's operations.

If they take the lead, the Shuttered Lantern will roll up the espionage ring in Sarvos before the Winter Solstice the Grandmaster will receive some information about what the espionage network was working on, along with a portion of the wealth the Grendel were using to pay their informants and a single [[magic items|magic item]] taken from the spies. Some some of the agents may escape - coordinating the operation will be extremely challenging - but the threat will be removed.
{{CaptionedImage|file=WolvesofWar_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}

===Wolves===
* '''The Wolves of War can use the Guard the Gates order to destroy the spy network'''
The Wolves of War are on furlough in Sarvos as the Shuttered Lantern operation unrolls. League magicians from the order are able to call on friends who serve in the army for additional aid, and that means that a number of competent soldiers and officers have inside information about the espionage ring as well. As such, the Wolves of War could clean house in the League territory themselves. The [[general]] would need to remain in Sarvos and use their [[Army_qualities#Mercenary|mercenary]] connections to take the [[Army_qualities#Scouting|Guard the Gates]] order. If they do so, whatever else happens, the espionage ring will be shattered, multiple agents arrested and interrogated, and some of their accumulated wealth will be seized and delivered to the General along with additional information about what the network was working on. The army has the capacity to ensure that very few of the agents will be able to slip through the net, and the threat of agents operating in Sarvos will be removed. '''Note:''' While the army used the Guard the Gates order in Spring, the ability to select mercenary options "refreshes" in Autumn when the general is appointed.
===Both or Neither===
* '''If both the Shuttered Lantern and the Wolves of War cooperate the espionage ring will be smashed but there may be unexpected outcomes'''
* '''If the espionage ring is left in place either the Shuttered Lantern or the Wolves of War might deal with the threat later provided the situation does not change significantly in the meantime'''
Obviously the Shuttered Lantern and the Wolves of War might cooperate to smash the espionage ring together, If they do so, they will complement each others' approaches wherever possible. Both the Grandmaster and the General will receive a portion of the wealth the Grendel agents have accumulated, Both will receive information about what the network was working on. The espionage ring will be absolutely devastated; nobody will escape.

Of course there's no requirement for anyone to do anything here. The Shuttered Lantern may want to move on to start locating the Grendel agents in other territories; the Wolves of War might wish to do the same or have obligations that make it impossible to focus on cleaning up the spies in Sarvos. Either the order or the army can come back at a later date and deal with the espionage ring here - as long as nothing major changes in the meantime.

Leaving the ring in place is somewhat risky however. While the espionage ring is primarily used for information gathering it is sophisticated enough, and well hidden enough, that it could take covert action in support of any Grendel attack here that would go beyond just gathering information.

==Bastion: the Grand Endeavour==
{{SOP|statement=We the Nine received nineteen entries to design Bastion anew We celebrate all these visions. We instruct architects to use the design of Millward Cowley for the structure of the city, and the art of Skywise Gralka for its beauty and inspiration. We urge the civil service to display the entries received in the civil service records.|by=Viviane de Coeurdefer|vote=Greater Majority 7-1|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}
* '''Two inspirational pieces of art have been selected by the Assembly of Nine to serve as the basis of the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be built in Bastion'''
* '''Work has finally begun on the project with gifts of white granite and money from private individuals and entire nations'''
* '''The presence of Cold Sun in the territory is making more than a few people very nervous'''
Work is ready to begin on the [[Blood will thicken|sacred city]], to be built in [[Bastion]]. The challenge of finding a piece of suitably numinous art that can help the architects and engineers of the Empire build something that will echo down the ages has been completed. The [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Contest_of_Imagination|contest of imagination]] has ended - the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of Nine]] selected two winners. One, by the [[the Marches|Marcher]] '''Millward Cowley''', is a truly [[Ambition|Ambitious]] piece that lays out the basic design of the city - a central cathedral and seven encircling temples each dedicated to one of the seven virtues, surrounded by gardens. The other is from the [[Imperial Orcs|Imperial Orc]] '''Skywise Gralka''', a gorgeous piece of conceptual art capturing the idea of soaring towers and pealing bells. These two pieces of art have been used to draw up the awe-inspiring structure that now begins to rise in Bastion. Assuming that everything goes according to plan, and sufficient resources are available each season, it should be completed shortly before the Autumn Equinox 388YE.
===The Wayfarer's Guide===
* '''The Wayfarer's Guide, the prize offered by the chapter of Pharos' Water, will be delivered to the civil service on Saturday morning'''
* '''Skywise Gralka and Millward Cowley must decide between them who will receive it'''
When [[Appraisal#Eilian_Sweetwater_of_Storm.27s_Run_Striding|Eilian Sweetwater]] proposed that Imperial artists work with the Assembly of Nine to find a suitable inspiration, members of the Pharos' Water [[chapter]] proposed that a competition was the only virtuous way to choose these designs. The chapter's [[benefactor|benefactors]] committed to providing the winning artist with the ''Wayfarers Guide'' - an [[Magic_items#Artefacts|artefact]] [[Dragonbone Symbol]] originally created for [[Emperor James]] but never delivered.

The Assembly of Nine, however, has chosen ''two'' victors in the contest. The Exarch of the Pharos' Water chapter cannot break the Wayfarer's Guide in half, and committed to provide a single gift to one winning artist. As such, they propose to leave the decision as to who receives Emperor Frederick's Dragonbone Symbol to Millward and Gralka. The talisman will be delivered to the [[Civil_Service#Tribune_of_the_Synod|Tribune of the Synod]] on Saturday morning; they ask that Gralka and Millward bring their decision as to who will receive the item to them at [[Anvil#The Hub|the Hub]] when they are ready.

===Progress===
* '''Work on the Grand Inspiration begins following the Summer Solstice'''
* '''Materials for constructing the grand inspiration have been provided by both wealthy individuals and the nations of Highguard, the Brass Coast, and the Marches'''
The project requires 1000 [[white granite]] and 250 Thrones. So far, three nations have [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way#Outcome|committed their support]]. '''Eli of the Cenotaph''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_125|urged the Highborn]] to offer whatever they could to the make this dream a reality. '''Friar John of the Mourn''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_56|urged the people]] of [[the Marches]] to contribute whatever they could, while the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]], and '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Erigo''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_71|did the same]] for their own nation. Between them the three nations are contributing 53 wains of [[white granite]], and 106 crowns each season. Highguard will continue to do so until the project is complete, while the Marches and Brass coast will do so until the start of the Summer Solstice 386YE. Such devotion is costly. Everything those nations can spare will be devoted to support the extraordinary project - there will be no resources available for other plans. As a result it will be impossible to use a [[mandate]] to urge the people of the nation to support another commission or similar project that needed help. Any mandate in the Imperial Synod that urged citizens to provide financial support to a different commission or cause would fail to have any effect and any [[statement of principle]] that asked the nation for their support in this way would fail to produce a mandate.

Other nations may still choose to offer their support - unlike normal mandates those urging people to support the ambitious endeavour can be [[Blood_will_thicken#Grand_Opportunity|proposed at any time]] unless the situation changes. Even [[the League]] could do so, in spite of their National Assembly previously [[Rings_and_crowns#A_Sacred_City|having supported a statement]] by '''Fabio Costas de Sarvos''', denouncing the entire scheme as unvirtuous as they chose not to raise the resultant mandate.
===Peril===
* '''Cold Sun is in Bastion'''
There is one major cause for concern in Bastion. The forces of the destructive [[eternal]] [[Cold Sun]] have [[To the last syllable|gathered in Bastion]]. These wicked heralds have already [[To_the_last_syllable#In_Bastion_and_Reikos|destroyed]] the [[Reikos#The_Unbound_Steel_Hall_%28Ruined%29|Unbound Steel Hall of Lost Chapters]] in [[Reikos]], and assaulted a number of targets in Highguard including the [[High_Herbalist_of_Sybella#Sybella_Cross_Physician.27s_Hall|Physician's Hall]] in [[Bastion#Sybela|Sybela]]. Most worrying of all, however, is the news that a major force of these heralds [[To_the_last_syllable#Purity|is gathered]] at [[Bastion#Woodbury|Woodbury]] - a force of some three thousand supernatural entities with barely understood powers.

There is a ''great deal'' of white granite being gathered at Bastion, and the construction work leaves many workers, architects, engineers, and the people of the [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]] itself vulnerable. The attackers would need to pass through [[Bastion#Stoneside|Stoneside]] to threaten the city directly, but they could certainly raid the caravans bringing white granite from the western nations. Worse, they have demonstrated both a committed hatred of things that exalt the spirit, and an ability to put themselves in a position to try and destroy those things. Finally, of course, there are no [[fortification|fortifications]] in Bastion whose garrison might slow them down. The people of the White City are nervous, to put it mildly.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ValiantPegasus_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}
But nowhere near as nervous as the people of Woodbury. Unlike the chapters of the northern and eastern regions, those of Bastion - and those of Woodbury in particular - tend to be less fortified and more concerned with agriculture and the virtues of [[Prosperity]]. They have no capacity to protect themselves from the depredations of Cold Sun, and if they are forced to flee they will also be forced to leave their harvests behind, along with many of their treasures. While folk in Bastion are concerned about what is going to happen with Cold Sun, the chapters of Woodbury are beside themselves with worry.

==Leen : A Road to Liberation==
* '''This season the Valiant Pegasus is part of the advance into the Salt Flats of Sanath against the Druj'''
* '''This has created an opportunity for a number of National Assemblies to find out more about the disposition of the enemy forces there'''
Only one Highborn army is actively engaged with a military campaign this season, the [[Valiant Pegasus]] who are part of the Imperial advance into the Slat Flats of Sanath. It is a Courageous attack on the Druj heartlands, that draws the full attention of the Imperial Synod due to the [[Full_of_sacred_sound#The_Sticking_Place|crusading nature]] of Highguard's armies. Some question the Wisdom of such a headlong plunge into enemy territory without any idea of what is there, but others point to the presence of the [[Citadel Guard]] and their unique ability to [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Celestial_Key|carry out enlightened scrying in a territory]]. But if more knowledge is what is required, why don't the Assemblies help the generals gather it?

As a result of the inspirational attack by the [[Valiant Pegasus]] last season, any of the four national assemblies whose armies are present in Sanath could choose to encourage their soldiers to reach out to the local orcs with the following mandate.

{{Mandate|mandate=Let every word you speak carry meaning. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to persuade the soldiers of the Citadel Guard/Iron Helms/Valiant Pegasus/Gryphons Pride to seek out orc septs oppressed by the Druj. Together we will find the right question.|assembly=Urizen/Varushkan/Highborn/Dawnish Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted by a nation then the soldiers of that army will adopt the [[Throw_back_the_echoes#Great_Deeds_Are_Eternal|approach pioneered by the Dawnish in the conquest of the Barrens]], striving to minimise casualties and thus open channels of communication. Each army that is affected would suffer a twenty-five percent penalty to territory captured, but they would gain information about a single sept present in the territory, get an impression of how they view the Empire and gain a winged messenger contact for that sept. Each Assembly can only influence the soldiers of their own nation who were present there last season, armies that were not present in Sanath before the summit cannot be affected.

This mandate will only affect Urizen or Varushka if their Assembly pass it with a greater majority due to both those nations questioning of Synod mandates. Due to the nature of this opportunity it is not possible to submit an alternate mandate on this topic.

None of these mandates will have any effect if the Iron Helms, or any other Imperial army, carry out a [[Army_qualities#Cruel|merciless assault]] against Druj inhabitants of the Salt Flats of Sanath this coming season. It is not possible to open diplomatic channels of communication whilst engaging in brutal tactics designed to terrorise them. If any army undertakes a merciless assault then all the mandates will automatically fail and no liao will be taken.

The cities and the city

2026-08-06T12:00:19Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Bastion: the Grand Endeavour */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:385YE Autumn]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"Empress Varkula sadly passed over two hundred years ago. I know there are people who want her to come back-" Jemima was not expecting to be interrupted.

"It's not about wanting her to come back!" said one of the younger wise ones hotly. "The sovereigns are rising in Varushka, and if she is a sovereign then that might mean she is rising too!"

"Please. Listen to me. The Empress died. She will come back in time - most likely she has already come back - but not as some strange monster of the cursed hills and dark woods. As a human being, reborn after her time in the Labyrinth, assuming that her virtue in life did not allow her to transcend and become a paragon and we just haven't realised it yet."

One of the wise ones crossed their arms, while another adjusted his shawl. The third was having none of it.

"We are here from Varushka because while you know a lot about tending tombs, ''we'' are the people who know about sovereigns and the terrible powers they wield! And we are telling you we ''must'' be allowed into the tomb!"

The steward crossed her own arms. She made eye contact briefly with Temovich. She knew the old woman very mildly, having shared the occasional coffee and pastry with them in the park near the tomb. The wise one shrugged her eyebrows apologetically at her companion's rash words. But her serious expression did not alter.

"I know you're concerned." Jemima was keeping her temper by remembering that these people were simply being Vigilant. They had identified a possible threat and were investigating, and she could not fault them for that. Even if they were wrong. "But you cannot enter the tomb of the Empress. Not least because there are few things more commonly associated with a sudden haunting than defilement of the resting place. Especially after all this time."

"I am telling you -"

"No ''I'' am telling ''you''." The steward of the dead had had enough. "You are not going into the tomb today, or any other day. There is no sign whatsoever that anything untoward is happening here. Your worries are your own business until such time as you can bring me anything other than unformed conjecture to suggest that the risks of not doing so outweigh the incredible ''disrespect'' you would be causing to the Empress. There is nothing more to be said!"

He opened his mouth to say something more, but she turned away. He sputtered a little, and she heard Temovich and the man in the shawl talking quietly and soothingly to him.

"Excuse me," said a new voice. She turned slightly to find three orcs hovering a little nervously at the bottom of the steps. They were Imperial Orcs of the Sunstorm sept, here with the Winter Sun, by their dress.

"I'm sorry, yes. Can I help you?"

They exchanged glances, and their spokesman gave her a worried smile.

"We were wondering if we might be able to get into the tomb?" he said. "We've reason to believe there's a lost item of worth in there and we would like to reclaim it for the people of Skarsind, or the people of Highguard, or possibly the people of Varushka, depending on what it is?"

Jemima started to count to ten inside her head and took a deep breath.</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Endeavours.png|caption=Inspiration for the grand endeavour has been provided, the ground is being cleared, the first white granite towers begin to rise.|align=left|width=600}}</div>{{audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im4AhWgyURw}}
==Overview==
[[The League]] is not the only nation with cities. The [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]] and the [[Necropolis#The_Necropolis|Black]] were old when [[Sarvos]] and the rest were open fields. Many of the concerns of city folk are the same the world over, and this season highlights those similarities. Malevolent heralds, worries about dark powers, the quest for items of [[worth]], concern about what one's neighbours are doing. There is a commonality between the Highborn. and their siblings in the League. Nor are Imperial citizens the only builders, of course. People everywhere, of all kinds, are drawn together like filings to a magnet. Even the Druj, it seems, build communities - if the tales of the sprawling chaos that is the city of Leen are to be believed. The [[Valiant Pegasus]] fights in the [[Salt Flats of Sanath]] and urges the soldiers of Highguard, and their allies, to remember that, though they walk the road through the heartlands of [[the Mallum]], they are here as liberators, not conquerors.

==Necropolis: Worth==
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Skywise Rykana, General of the Winter Sun">Heroes of the Winter Sun, long have we bled to raise up our Kin from the bonds of slavery but now we move to lift up ourselves. We march for Necropolis leaving a trail of broken chains behind us, to open our minds to the revelations of the day. As we rest and ready for the storm to come, listen to your ancestors and their guidance to seek out items of worth, reclaim our lost histories, and discover the worth of those deserving of remembrance</quote></div>
* '''Inspired by Day Magic, and the conjunction of the Lock and the Key, the Winter Sun has sought out items of worth in Necropolis'''
Following the Summer Solstice, the [[Imperial Orcs]] of the [[Winter Sun]] march south from [[the Barrens]] to [[Necropolis]]. They are here to rest, and to ready for the coming war with the [[Grendel]]. Yet that is not their only reason for being here. A unique [[enchantment]] of [[Day magic]] has been laid upon them, designed to focus and augment the effects of [[Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths]]. It allows scouts and soldiers associated with the [[orc]] army to seek out lost items of [[worth]] and urges the soldiers to encourage other Imperial Orcs in the area to recall the presence of lost items of their own. It empowers them to find things thought lost to the nation through misadventure, death in battle, or even things they themselves did not lose but an ancestor might have had. The power seems to function at least in part thanks to the last lingering power of the [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] [[Ruin#The_Lesser_Conjunction|conjunction]] of [[the Lock]] and [[the Web]].

Almost immediately it becomes clear that the majority of the items of worth in Necropolis either belong to the Highborn, or are interred in the tombs of the [[Necropolis#The_Necropolis|Black City]], and belong to the dead. The ritual does not differentiate between items that might have worth for the orcs - it seems to draw attention to any object that has a long history and in Necropolis this is a truly astonishing number of items. This makes some sense to Imperial Orcs and Highborn magicians alike - the magic of the Day realm is unlikely to be able to discern the numinous quality of "worth" but in conjunction with the Imperial enchantment and the conjunction could help identify items whose history hangs heavy around them and [[Skein of Years|could be read]] - much as the [[Detect_magic#Divination|detect magic]] spell does.

There are also few Imperial Orcs in the territory to encourage to find items of their own - only a few dozen pilgrims visiting the tomb of [[Emperor Ahraz]], or the more recent memorials for Imperial orc heroes interred alongside the other champions of the Empire. The [[Highguard_religious_beliefs#Stewards_of_the_dead|stewards of the dead]] answer questions, and listen with a great deal of interest to stories of worth and what it means to the Imperial Orcs. For many of them this is the first time they have had an opportunity to learn about the concept, and many are fascinated, especially when talk turns to matters of the [[Worth#Imperial Relics|Imperial relics]] - the weapons and armour donated to the first legions by the Highborn. They won't provide access to burial places, however, and in all honesty few Imperial Orcs even ask. The idea of graverobbing to recover items of worth proves unpalatable.

This isn't to say the magic is wasted, not entirely. There are people in Highguard who have the kind of items of worth that would be valuable to the Imperial Orcs. A few are relics of the shameful past - reminders of the centuries that Highguard saw [[orc|orcs]] purely as creatures to be slain or enslaved. When an orc requests the return of such items, few refuse. The [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_7|inspiring words]] of ''' Olyvar of Esther's Sanctum''' are still plain in the Highborn peoples' minds. There are also several items that have a less sorrowful history; gifts given to battlefield-allies by dying Imperial Orc soldiers. Most of these are kept as mementos by the Highborn to whom they were entrusted, a reminder of a staunch ally or friend, but in some cases they too are surrendered to the Imperial Orcs especially when the meaning of worth is explained. In each case, they are handed over with stories of how and why they came into the possession of the Highborn, further cementing their identity as items of worth.

Some of these items are given to [[general]] Rykana, but most are either kept by the soldiers who find them - eager to help build their legend and that of the object. Many are also sent back to [[Skarsind]], to the [[Weigher_of_Worth#The_Halls_of_Worth|Halls of Worth]], so the [[Imperial_Orcs_magical_traditions#Oathwrights|oathwrights]] can find new champions to carry them and be inspired by them.
===Participation===
Ribbons will be provided to the General of the Winter Sun, the Imperial Orcs whose [[military unit|military units]] supported the army, and to the [[Weigher of Worth]] at the start of the event. Any Imperial Orc or Highborn character who was in Necropolis this season for any reason can create a story about items of worth, and interactions with members of the other nation. Any steward of the dead in particular is encouraged to read over the [[worth]] page, to get a feel for what the Imperial Orcs might have explained to them, while any Imperial Orc is encouraged to review the Necropolis page, and the explanation of the role played by the [[Highguard_religious_beliefs#Stewards_of_the_dead|stewards of the dead]].

This enchantment is the result of an [[arcane projection]], and drew power in part from the lesser conjunction of things [[the Lock|being hidden]] and [[the Key|revealed]], as well as from the Imperial enchantment. It's unlikely that the exact same confluence of factors will come together again any time soon, so similar effects will not be possible in the future.

==Necropolis: Varkula==
{{SOP|statement=At the request of the Imperial Necromancer and due to our shared concerns we ask Father Drakov be given access to the Tomb of the Iron Empress, Varkula." Sovereigns are rising across Varushka. In the name of Vigilance and Wisdom we must check the seals on her tomb and the veracity of rumours that she has risen.|by=Father Drakov|vote=Greater Majority 346-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}
* '''The Varushkan national assembly has asked to explore the tomb of Empress Varkula'''
* '''There is no sign of anything untoward in the tomb'''
The Imperial orcs are not the only people interested in relics and tombs in Necropolis. During the Summer Solstice, the [[Varushka|Varushkan]] National Assembly upheld a [[statement of principle]] by '''Father Drakov''' that expressed the concerns of the [[Imperial Necromancer]] that [[Empress Varkula]] might somehow have risen as a [[Varushkan_Monster#Sovereigns|sovereign]]. A small delegation of [[Varushka religious beliefs|Wise ones]] in Necropolis - some resident and some making the long trip south especially - speak with the stewards of the dead and the guardians of the tomb.

There is absolutely no evidence of anything untoward around the tomb. It is as sealed as it ever was, and since the [[Come back to stay|mild disturbances]] in Spring 382YE, there has been nothing else to raise any concern among the stewards. Requests to break open the tomb are met with polite refusal. The idea that an Imperial Empress might turn out to be some kind of awful unliving horror akin to the [[Charnel Lord]] or [[Dho'uala]] is viewed by several of the stewards as quite offensive. Furthermore, even if for some reason a malevolent entity were to arise in the tomb, there are [[Burial rites of Empress Varkula|precautions]] to provide warnings of such an event.

Without ''significant'' evidence that some serious threat resides inside the tomb, the stewards absolutely have no interest in allowing anyone to disturb the rest of [[the Throne]] interred within. They thank the wise ones for their concern, but reassure them that if anything ''does'' happen at the tomb they will be the first to seek out the expertise of their Varushkan siblings in addressing that threat.

'''OOC Note:''' There is no sign of any threat from Empress Varkula's tomb; attempts to gain access will not lead to opportunities. This includes statements of principle: the stewards of the dead will refuse any suggestion from their own assembly that the tombs be broken into. Breaking into one of the tombs at the Necropolis would be seen as a shocking trespass by the people of Highguard, and indeed by many other Imperial nations, even if the [[Senate]] were to command it. If there was an active plot regarding Empress Varkula - or anyone else interred in the Necropolis - then opportunities would be presented to interact with it, but right now that is not the case.
{{CaptionedImage|file=SeventhWave_Colour.png|align=left|width=300}}

==Necropolis: Espionage==
* '''The Grendel espionage network in Necropolis has been broken'''
* '''Grendel plans have been examined, revealing a threat to the Necropolis itself'''
* '''Highborn businesses in Necropolis no longer receive additional money from the visiting Grendel Armada'''
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=The Highborn national assembly appeals to the citizens of Necropolis. We call citizens to come forward to tell the Seventh Wave and accompanying priests what information was given to the Grendel. We need to know the level of danger we are in. The National Assembly want to assure the people they will be treated fairly and in accordance to Imperial law. Some Highborn priests will accompany the army to ensure this loyalty to your siblings is worth more than coin in your pocket. There is a path for redemption for unvirtuous deeds though recognising your loyalties.|by=Abraham|vote=Greater Majority 695-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=Vigilance teaches us to seek out falsehood and reveal the truth. We send Isaac of the Silent Tide with 50 doses of liao to urge the unconquered and the priests of our nation to help the Seventh Wave root out the poison in our fields.|by=Mandate, Isaac of the Silent Tide|vote=Greater Majority 834-0|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Barachel of Adina's Charge, General of the Seventh Wave">We act in Vigilance, but let us remember our loyalties. While the bulk of our force resupplies, our unconquered act to quietly wrap up the Grendel's Espionage ring. A number of our citizens will be called to interview, with neither tea nor biscuits. Some, perhaps unknowingly, are traitors. But only some. And those that are, may yet find their honour to repent and redeem themselves</quote></div>
The [[Vigilance]] of the [[Seventh Wave]] has been rewarded by the [[Rings_and_crowns#Eyes_of_the_Basilisk|revelation of an espionage ring]] in Necropolis. The Highborn national assembly sent '''Isaac of the Silent Tide''' to [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Mandate#Judgement_28|support the army]] in rooting out the spies with as little disruption as possible. The power of the [[Shining like fire|Imperial enchantment currently infusing the Empire]] provides subtle assistance as well, particularly when it comes to uncovering hidden evidence or securing documents the spies might rather see destroyed.

It becomes clear that there are precious few Highborn who have intentionally sold secrets to the Grendel. Most of those who have provided information to the barbarians are doing so unwittingly, or without due consideration of the consequences. With Isaac urging people to consider the behaviour of their friends and enemies, and the assurance that those who have misstepped will not be punished, and the vigilant unconquered following up the leads they uncovered last season, the espionage ring is rolled up.

The Grendel involved are ejected from Highguard, and the magistrates work with the Highborn to differentiate those who have committed treason from those who have made mistakes. There is comparatively little disruption in the territory as a consequence, although it does put an end to the [[Shallow days|trade arrangements]] between Highborn merchants and Grendel originally [[385YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement 112|endorsed by the assembly]]. Highborn [[business|businesses]] no longer receive [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_interlude#Visiting_Armada|additional trade]].

In the process of rolling up the espionage ring in Necropolis, there are several opportunities to actually capture information that might prove of use. The most obvious thing discovered by the soldiers and priests is that the Grendel spymasters are apparently in turmoil. None of them saw the [[Windfall|betrayal of the Apulian orcs]] coming. The Council of the Salt Lords must now face the fact that one of their own has defected to the Imperial side - someone who was privy to many of their plans for the coming war with the Empire. They are now having to change those plans... or not. According to some of the documents recovered before the Grendel spies could destroy them, some of the Salt Lords are arguing that changing the plan is exactly what the Empire would expect - that the attack on [[Sarvos]] should go ahead as planned and catch Imperial armies by surprise. In the end it is clear that they have not yet made up their mind what they are going to do: an attack is coming, but the Council of Salt Lords have not yet chosen a target.

There's also some disturbing notes that talk about an agreement with the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean Plenum]]. It's an open secret that the Asaveans are offering support to the Grendel in their upcoming war with the Empire - and equally an open secret that the Plenum wants revenge for the [[Mosaic|raid on Chalonsio]]. The Asaveans are demanding the destruction of an Imperial city as the only way to regain their pride, and propitiate their bitter gods. The most likely targets are Sarvos, obviously, but also [[Madruga#Siron|Siroc]] - and there are plenty of hints in the recovered documents that the Grendel would prefer to sacrifice Siroc to the Asaveans' bloodlust and take Sarvos for themselves - but if push comes to shove, and their alliance is on the line, who knows which way the Grendel will jump?

The majority of the intelligence recovered, however, hints at the Grendel plans for Necropolis. They have been mapping military targets and defensible locations - they definitely have a map of the territory that could be used for scrying and know the details of any army that has been stationed here in the last three years up until the start of the Autumn Equinox. The main target of any attack on the territory, however, will be the Necropolis itself. The Grendel are ''itching'' to despoil the tombs of the dead Thrones and the heroes of the Empire, and the general consensus is that such an attack would be a serious blow against the morale not only of Highguard but of the Empire as a whole. Raiding most likely wouldn't be sufficient - a Grendel army would need to occupy the region of [[Necropolis#Coursmouth|Coursmouth]] to have the time and access needed to break into the tombs. If they did, they would potentially leave the city ruined: hundreds of memorials defaced, grave goods stolen, and at least some of the bodies taken away. There's still no explanation as to what the Grendel wanted with the body of [[Empress Giselle]], for example. While the League were able to move her corpse far north, and inter her in the [[Guardian_of_Giselle%27s_Tomb#Virtue.27s_Respite|garish new tomb]] in [[Temeschwar]], there is no chance whatsoever that the other tombs of the Thrones could be relocated - never mind the mausoleums, cenotaphs, and memorials inhabited by the Empire's heroes.

The Grendel spies have identified that if they want to raid the Necropolis they will need to take and hold either [[necropolis#Sanctuary Sands|Sanctuary Sands]] or [[Redoubt#Naris|Naris]] in [[Redoubt]]. Obviously [[Necropolis#Reumah.27s_Rest|Reumah's Rest]] protects Sanctuary Sands, so it will be no easy task. The Grendel must also be aware that an Imperial counterattack against a weak holding in one of these regions might leave their army trapped in Coursmouth - although that will be scant comfort to the people of Necropolis - or the Empire.


===A Second Ring===
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;">{{SOP|statement=The substance known as blue lotus or Ocean's Caress, which prevents the user from using liao, is being produce in Asavea. They are using the proceeds from the sale of this drug to fund their war on the Empire and their slaving practices. We call on the virtuous to not purchase it. Do not let our Prosperity fund our enemies.|by=Eskae Crowspeaker|vote=1200-12|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}</div>
* '''Thanks to a tip-off from unnamed agents, a major smuggling ring has been ended'''
While the major focus of the Seventh Wave is on the Grendel spies, there is another ring at work in Necropolis it seems. During the Summer Solstice, heroes from [[Anvil]] apparently used the [[Sentinel Gate]] to investigate a well-secured smuggling ring operating out of [[Necropolis#Longbeach|Crown's Quay]]. A group of [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[corsair|corsairs]], acting on behalf of a [[Madruga|Madrugan]] magistrate, apparently identified a pivotal Grendel smuggler and their Imperial accomplices, and provided a thorough package of evidence which was used not only to arrest the smugglers in Necropolis, but also to deal with several agents in Siroc. The Grendel in Necropolis was further implicated in a fire at a local tavern, and if not for the quick thinking of a second group of Imperial heroes several historic dockside buildings might have been gutted.

With the aid of the Seventh Wave, there's no doubt that the smugglers have been dealt with, but there is still a matter of mild concern. Along with traditional small items that could be moved easily, the Grendel were also selling shipments of an Asavean narcotic called ''Ocean's Caress'' into the Empire. The substance itself is not illegal - but bringing it into the Empire without paying the appropriate [[tariffs]] - which are not insignificant when they involve trade with slavers such as the Grendel and the Asaveans - certainly is! People are being urged to be on the look-out for the substance - a thick blue liquid that causes feelings of relaxation and peculiar dreams - and if they have any suspicion that it has been brought into the Empire illegally, report those suspicions to a magistrate. By all accounts, concerns about this particular narcotic have also been raised by '''Eska Crowspeaker''' the [[Voice of Liberty]], although at this time the greater majority of the General Assembly were not moved to support the judgement.

==Sarvos: Agents==
<div style="float:right; width: 530px; clear: right; margin-left: 10px;"><quote by="Jean d'Apulian, General of the Wolves of War">Our bravos have done what none have done before by "conquering" Spiral in a single season. We have fought ourselves to bloody tatters in the east and it's time to cut loose and celebrate. Let the bravos off the chain to blow off steam in the docks and bordellos with a raucous piss-up that will go down in legend, ready for any foolish enough to try and break it up.</quote></div>

* '''With the aid of the Wolves of War, the Shuttered Lantern have located an espionage network in Sarvos'''
* '''Rolling up the espionage ring still represents a challenge'''
<div style="float:right; width: 530px; clear: right;"><quote by="Grandmaster Tyburn Weaver of the Shuttered Lantern">Conclave asks the Shuttered Lantern to tear the veil and reveal the hidden hand of the Grendel and any other threat to the Empire in the territory of Sarvos. We will expose the espionage rings, spy networks, and other information gathering tools of our enemies. Where possible we hope to neutralise the threat.</quote></div>
Where there is one espionage ring, there are likely others. The Shuttered Lantern, with the support of the Imperial Conclave, have set themselves the task of tracking down espionage agents in the city of Sarvos. Again supported by the Imperial enchantment, they are able to carefully track down a number of individuals who have connections with the Grendel, observe them, and begin to get a feel for the orcs' operations in the territory. They are also helped by the fact the Wolves of War are resting and recuperating in the city. Members of the Shuttered Lantern work with soldiers from the army, taking advantage of their knowledge of the city and the surrounding terrain, their military experience, and their willingness to work with others especially if there is money on the table.

There is indeed an espionage ring at work here, but there's no sign it is connected to the one in Necropolis, or organised in the same way. It seems the Grendel spymasters are maintaining separation between their various operations, meaning that even if one is identified and rolled up, the others will not be compromised. What they ''are'' able to do however is confirm that there are definitely espionage rings in [[Madruga]], [[Redoubt]], [[Tassato]], and [[Spiral]]. The theoretical is now certain.

Much as with the Necropolis espionage ring, however, the majority of the agents here are humans rather than orcs. Most of the "agents" are League citizens providing what seems to them to be slightly dubious or criminal information in return for coin. The Grendel are not barbarians after all, and until recently there were plenty of people who assumed the peace treaty would continue for years to come. Not every agent is an Imperial, however. A key piece of intelligence gathered by the Shuttered Lantern comes when an Apulian Orc identifies an apparent [[bravo]] on the docks who they recognise from [[Bay_of_Catazar#Vorlach|Vorlach]] as a vassal of Salt Lord Moorvain. They were carousing with off-duty soldiers from the [[Wolves of War]], wheedling their way into their confidence by spending coin freely to buy drink and drugs. This leads to a group of other humans who, while pretending to be Sarvosans, are actually disguised agents of the Salt Lords.

By the Autumn Equinox, the Shuttered Lantern has a rough map of the web of agents in [[Sarvos#Bocche|Boche]], [[Sarvos#Cigno|Cigno]], and [[Sarvos#Uccelini|Uccelini]]. This presents an obvious problem - the best way to deal with the espionage ring would be to move against agents in each of the three regions simultaneously, but that might prove a challenge for the Shuttered Lantern alone.
{{CaptionedImage|file=OrderShutteredLantern.jpg|title=Order of the Shuttered Lantern|align=right|width=175}}
===Lanterns===
* '''A Declaration of Concord could be used to commit the Shuttered Lantern to dealing with the espionage ring'''
* '''The resources required would cost the Imperial Conclave 60 crystal mana from next seasons' font'''
The Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern could use a [[Declaration]] of [[Concord]] to ask the Conclave to support them in dealing with the espionage ring in Sarvos themselves. This would require a commitment of mana - the magicians in Sarvos estimate it will take 60 crystal mana in addition to their own resources. It will not be necessary to do a separate [[Endowment]] - the resources will come directly from the font for Winter Solstice, provided the Conclave supports the Shuttered Lantern's operations.

If they take the lead, the Shuttered Lantern will roll up the espionage ring in Sarvos before the Winter Solstice the Grandmaster will receive some information about what the espionage network was working on, along with a portion of the wealth the Grendel were using to pay their informants and a single [[magic items|magic item]] taken from the spies. Some some of the agents may escape - coordinating the operation will be extremely challenging - but the threat will be removed.
{{CaptionedImage|file=WolvesofWar_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}

===Wolves===
* '''The Wolves of War can use the Guard the Gates order to destroy the spy network'''
The Wolves of War are on furlough in Sarvos as the Shuttered Lantern operation unrolls. League magicians from the order are able to call on friends who serve in the army for additional aid, and that means that a number of competent soldiers and officers have inside information about the espionage ring as well. As such, the Wolves of War could clean house in the League territory themselves. The [[general]] would need to remain in Sarvos and use their [[Army_qualities#Mercenary|mercenary]] connections to take the [[Army_qualities#Scouting|Guard the Gates]] order. If they do so, whatever else happens, the espionage ring will be shattered, multiple agents arrested and interrogated, and some of their accumulated wealth will be seized and delivered to the General along with additional information about what the network was working on. The army has the capacity to ensure that very few of the agents will be able to slip through the net, and the threat of agents operating in Sarvos will be removed. '''Note:''' While the army used the Guard the Gates order in Spring, the ability to select mercenary options "refreshes" in Autumn when the general is appointed.
===Both or Neither===
* '''If both the Shuttered Lantern and the Wolves of War cooperate the espionage ring will be smashed but there may be unexpected outcomes'''
* '''If the espionage ring is left in place either the Shuttered Lantern or the Wolves of War might deal with the threat later provided the situation does not change significantly in the meantime'''
Obviously the Shuttered Lantern and the Wolves of War might cooperate to smash the espionage ring together, If they do so, they will complement each others' approaches wherever possible. Both the Grandmaster and the General will receive a portion of the wealth the Grendel agents have accumulated, Both will receive information about what the network was working on. The espionage ring will be absolutely devastated; nobody will escape.

Of course there's no requirement for anyone to do anything here. The Shuttered Lantern may want to move on to start locating the Grendel agents in other territories; the Wolves of War might wish to do the same or have obligations that make it impossible to focus on cleaning up the spies in Sarvos. Either the order or the army can come back at a later date and deal with the espionage ring here - as long as nothing major changes in the meantime.

Leaving the ring in place is somewhat risky however. While the espionage ring is primarily used for information gathering it is sophisticated enough, and well hidden enough, that it could take covert action in support of any Grendel attack here that would go beyond just gathering information.

==Bastion: the Grand Endeavour==
{{SOP|statement=We the Nine received nineteen entries to design Bastion anew We celebrate all these visions. We instruct architects to use the design of Millward Cowley for the structure of the city, and the art of Skywise Gralka for its beauty and inspiration. We urge the civil service to display the entries received in the civil service records.|by=Viviane de Coeurdefer|vote=Greater Majority 7-1|when=Summer Solstice 385YE}}
* '''Two inspirational pieces of art have been selected by the Assembly of Nine to serve as the basis of the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be built in Bastion'''
* '''Work has finally begun on the project with gifts of white granite and money from private individuals and entire nations'''
* '''The presence of Cold Sun in the territory is making more than a few people very nervous'''
Work is ready to begin on the [[Blood will thicken|sacred city]], to be built in [[Bastion]]. The challenge of finding a piece of suitably numinous art that can help the architects and engineers of the Empire build something that will echo down the ages has been completed. The [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Contest_of_Imagination|contest of imagination]] has ended - the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of Nine]] selected two winners. One, by the [[the Marches|Marcher]] '''Millward Cowley''', is a truly [[Ambition|Ambitious]] piece that lays out the basic design of the city - a central cathedral and seven encircling temples each dedicated to one of the seven virtues, surrounded by gardens. The other is from the [[Imperial Orcs|Imperial Orc]] '''Skywise Gralka''', a gorgeous piece of conceptual art capturing the idea of soaring towers and pealing bells. These two pieces of art have been used to draw up the awe-inspiring structure that now begins to rise in Bastion. Assuming that everything goes according to plan, and sufficient resources are available each season, it should be completed shortly before the Autumn Equinox 388YE.
===The Wayfarer's Guide===
* '''The Wayfarer's Guide, the prize offered by the chapter of Pharos' Water, will be delivered to the civil service on Saturday morning'''
* '''Skywise Gralka and Millward Cowley must decide between them who will receive it'''
When [[Appraisal#Eilian_Sweetwater_of_Storm.27s_Run_Striding|Eilian Sweetwater]] proposed that Imperial artists work with the Assembly of Nine to find a suitable inspiration, members of the Pharos' Water [[chapter]] proposed that a competition was the only virtuous way to choose these designs. The chapter's [[benefactor|benefactors]] committed to providing the winning artist with the ''Wayfarers Guide'' - an [[Magic_items#Artefacts|artefact]] [[Dragonbone Symbol]] originally created for [[Emperor James]] but never delivered.

The Assembly of Nine, however, has chosen ''two'' victors in the contest. The Exarch of the Pharos' Water chapter cannot break the Wayfarer's Guide in half, and committed to provide a single gift to one winning artist. As such, they propose to leave the decision as to who receives Emperor Frederick's Dragonbone Symbol to Millward and Gralka. The talisman will be delivered to the [[Civil_Service#Tribune_of_the_Synod|Tribune of the Synod]] on Saturday morning; they ask that Gralka and Millward bring their decision as to who will receive the item to them at [[Anvil#The Hub|the Hub]] when they are ready.

===Progress===
* '''Work on the Grand Inspiration begins following the Summer Solstice'''
* '''Materials for constructing the grand inspiration have been provided by both wealthy individuals and the nations of Highguard, the Brass Coast, and the Marches'''
The project requires 1000 [[white granite]] and 250 Thrones. So far, three nations have [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way#Outcome|committed their support]]. '''Eli of the Cenotaph''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_125|urged the Highborn]] to offer whatever they could to the make this dream a reality. '''Friar John of the Mourn''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_56|urged the people]] of [[the Marches]] to contribute whatever they could, while the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]], and '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Erigo''' [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_71|did the same]] for their own nation. Between them the three nations are contributing 53 wains of [[white granite]], and 106 crowns each season. Highguard will continue to do so until the project is complete, while the Marches and Brass coast will do so until the start of the Summer Solstice 386YE. Such devotion is costly. Everything those nations can spare will be devoted to support the extraordinary project - there will be no resources available for other plans. As a result it will be impossible to use a [[mandate]] to urge the people of the nation to support another commission or similar project that needed help. Any mandate in the Imperial Synod that urged citizens to provide financial support to a different commission or cause would fail to have any effect and any [[statement of principle]] that asked the nation for their support in this way would fail to produce a mandate.

Other nations may still choose to offer their support - unlike normal mandates those urging people to support the ambitious endeavour can be [[Blood_will_thicken#Grand_Opportunity|proposed at any time]] unless the situation changes. Even [[the League]] could do so, in spite of their National Assembly previously [[Rings_and_crowns#A_Sacred_City|having supported a statement]] by '''Fabio Costas de Sarvos''', denouncing the entire scheme as unvirtuous as they chose not to raise the resultant mandate.
===Peril===
* '''Cold Sun is in Bastion'''
There is one major cause for concern in Bastion. The forces of the destructive [[eternal]] [[Cold Sun]] have [[To the last syllable|gathered in Bastion]]. These wicked heralds have already [[To_the_last_syllable#In_Bastion_and_Reikos|destroyed]] the [[Reikos#The_Unbound_Steel_Hall_%28Ruined%29|Unbound Steel Hall of Lost Chapters]] in [[Reikos]], and assaulted a number of targets in Highguard including the [[High_Herbalist_of_Sybella#Sybella_Cross_Physician.27s_Hall|Physician's Hall]] in [[Bastion#Sybela|Sybela]]. Most worrying of all, however, is the news that a major force of these heralds [[To_the_last_syllable#Purity|is gathered]] at [[Bastion#Woodbury|Woodbury]] - a force of some three thousand supernatural entities with barely understood powers.

There is a ''great deal'' of white granite being gathered at Bastion, and the construction work leaves many workers, architects, engineers, and the people of the [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]] itself vulnerable. The attackers would need to pass through [[Bastion#Stoneside|Stoneside]] to threaten the city directly, but they could certainly raid the caravans bringing white granite from the western nations. Worse, they have demonstrated both a committed hatred of things that exalt the spirit, and an ability to put themselves in a position to try and destroy those things. Finally, of course, there are no [[fortification|fortifications]] in Bastion whose garrison might slow them down. The people of the White City are nervous, to put it mildly.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ValiantPegasus_Colour.png|align=right|width=300}}
But nowhere near as nervous as the people of Woodbury. Unlike the chapters of the northern and eastern regions, those of Bastion - and those of Woodbury in particular - tend to be less fortified and more concerned with agriculture and the virtues of [[Prosperity]]. They have no capacity to protect themselves from the depredations of Cold Sun, and if they are forced to flee they will also be forced to leave their harvests behind, along with many of their treasures. While folk in Bastion are concerned about what is going to happen with Cold Sun, the chapters of Woodbury are beside themselves with worry.

==Leen : A Road to Liberation==
* '''This season the Valiant Pegasus is part of the advance into the Salt Flats of Sanath against the Druj'''
* '''This has created an opportunity for a number of National Assemblies to find out more about the disposition of the enemy forces there'''
Only one Highborn army is actively engaged with a military campaign this season, the [[Valiant Pegasus]] who are part of the Imperial advance into the Slat Flats of Sanath. It is a Courageous attack on the Druj heartlands, that draws the full attention of the Imperial Synod due to the [[Full_of_sacred_sound#The_Sticking_Place|crusading nature]] of Highguard's armies. Some question the Wisdom of such a headlong plunge into enemy territory without any idea of what is there, but others point to the presence of the [[Citadel Guard]] and their unique ability to [[Highest_discipline#Technique_of_the_Celestial_Key|carry out enlightened scrying in a territory]]. But if more knowledge is what is required, why don't the Assemblies help the generals gather it?

As a result of the inspirational attack by the [[Valiant Pegasus]] last season, any of the four national assemblies whose armies are present in Sanath could choose to encourage their soldiers to reach out to the local orcs with the following mandate.

{{Mandate|mandate=Let every word you speak carry meaning. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to persuade the soldiers of the Citadel Guard/Iron Helms/Valiant Pegasus/Gryphons Pride to seek out orc septs oppressed by the Druj. Together we will find the right question.|assembly=Urizen/Varushkan/Highborn/Dawnish Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted by a nation then the soldiers of that army will adopt the [[Throw_back_the_echoes#Great_Deeds_Are_Eternal|approach pioneered by the Dawnish in the conquest of the Barrens]], striving to minimise casualties and thus open channels of communication. Each army that is affected would suffer a twenty-five percent penalty to territory captured, but they would gain information about a single sept present in the territory, get an impression of how they view the Empire and gain a winged messenger contact for that sept. Each Assembly can only influence the soldiers of their own nation who were present there last season, armies that were not present in Sanath before the summit cannot be affected.

This mandate will only affect Urizen or Varushka if their Assembly pass it with a greater majority due to both those nations questioning of Synod mandates. Due to the nature of this opportunity it is not possible to submit an alternate mandate on this topic.

None of these mandates will have any effect if the Iron Helms, or any other Imperial army, carry out a [[Army_qualities#Cruel|merciless assault]] against Druj inhabitants of the Salt Flats of Sanath this coming season. It is not possible to open diplomatic channels of communication whilst engaging in brutal tactics designed to terrorise them. If any army undertakes a merciless assault then all the mandates will automatically fail and no liao will be taken.

A lasting commitment

2026-08-06T11:58:11Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Summer]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
<ic>
When revelation yet eluded<br>
And in the dark we knew not how to see<br>
Did come Tian, and with her great gift<br>
Began the fire that burns relentlessly<br>

Behold our souls, Ambition's flame ignite<br>
Lights in the dark, Lights in the dark<br>
Behold our souls, Ambition's flame ignite<br>
Lights in the dark, Lights in the dark<br>
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Endeavours.png|caption=The Grand Inspiration of the Way promises to cement the Empire's position as the heart of the faith.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Overview==
{{audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV4QEkf5kYg}}
In the Winter of 387YE, the Highborn Assembly declared their highest calling to be [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|the Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. The great project begun in Summer 385YE is well underway, and with renewed focus, the people of [[Highguard]] have begun to [[lay the foundations]] for how the grand edifice may be laid out.

Now in the beginning of 388YE, the [[Ambition]] Assembly have joined them with a sense of urgency; not just to complete the largest commission the Empire has ever attempted but to do so by the end of the year. Just the idea of declaring something to be your highest calling seems to embrace the Virtue of Ambition, but even so this is an extraordinary thing to attempt. There is still a vast amount of work to be done, but if the Assembly can achieve the impossible it will have a dramatic impact.

==Mean What You Say==
{{SOP|statement=Completing the Grand Inspiration of the Way is a lofty goal, but nothing is beyond the grasp of the Virtuous. The Hallowing of the Patron drives us to silence naysayers, and what better way than to complete this inspiration project within the year? It will draw the eyes of the world to us, establishing Bastion as the heart of the Way. From there, our faith will spread across the globe. This is our highest calling!|by=Rafael Barossa, Ambition Assembly|vote={{GM}} 392-82|when=Spring 388YE}}
* '''The Assembly of Ambition has stated that their highest calling is to complete the Grand Inspiration of the Way in the space of a single year'''
* '''If the Assembly can put their reputation on the line to commit themselves to this impossible task, then they will reap the benefits'''

Inspired by the words of Rafael Barossa d'Apulian, the Ambition Assembly have invoked the [[Auras_of_Ambition#Hallowing_of_the_Patron|Hallowing of the Patron]], a call to silence naysayers of any who might say that the Grand Inspiration cannot be completed at all, let alone within the year. Unlike the nation of Highguard however, there is little for the Assembly to [[Lay_the_foundations#The_Family_Silver|sell off]] in exchange for new sources of precious [[white granite]]. Any additional efforts to complete the Grand Inspiration will rely on the resources of those who attend Anvil.

The best way to silence to naysayers, of course, is to stand steadfast in your convictions and prove them wrong. If the Ambition Assembly are truly confident that the Grand Inspiration will be complete within the year, then putting their reputation on the line will reap the benefits. There is no price for failure, it is a fundamental tenet of Ambition that ''"It is better, by far, to try and fail, than fail to try."'' But if they manage it, if the Grand Inspiration is completed by the start of 389YE, then the achievement will inspire the faithful.

The Assembly can use a mandate to spread word of their highest calling to every corner of the Empire:

{{Mandate|mandate=We shall ignite a flame to illuminate the Second Age of Virtue. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to spread the word of the grand opening ceremony to take place as 388 turns to 389. Let the whole Empire know that the hour is at hand.|assembly=Ambition Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then followers of Ambition will spread the news of the imminent completion of the Grand Inspiration across the Empire. They will ensure that everyone knows that the great project will be completed by the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE. All eyes will be on the construction in Bastion, waiting to see if the Highborn and the followers of Ambition can achieve this extraordinary feat.

If that happens and the Grand Inspiration is completed by the start of 389YE, then it will spread a powerful confidence through the faithful, creating an [[opportunity]] for members of the Assembly to see other great ambitions fulfilled.

==Say What You Mean==
* '''The Highborn Assembly have begun the hard work of defining how the Grand Inspiration will be laid out'''

After declaring the Grand Inspiration to be their highest calling the Highborn Assembly have begun the hard work of deciding how the Grand Inspiration will be laid out. The construction is vast, far and away the biggest commission ever created in the Empire, larger even than the great walls of Holberg. But size is not the only way to inspire the faithful - the way the Grand Inspiration is arranged and decorated will ultimately be more important than the construction itself.

===Voices of Virtue===
{{SOP|statement=The Highborn Assembly invite the Voices of Virtue assemblies to be the first to take up offices in the Grand Inspiration of the Way because they and the edifice are united in our will: to spread the Way to all sapient people|by=Rinnah, Highborn Assembly|vote= 300-10|when=Spring 388YE}}
* '''The Highborn Assembly have called for the office of Voices of Virtue to occupy the central space in the Grand Inspiration'''
* '''Creating ornate gardens for each Voice of Virtue would provide them with 5 liao a season'''
* '''It would allow each Voice to choose the single most important statement of principle passed during their term to be recorded for posterity'''
* '''Highborn benefactors offer to provide the Guildmaster of the Artisans with 4 thrones a season if he will arrange for a suitable magical item to be made for each Voice after they are elected'''
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Garden Paths'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Commission#Altering_an_Existing_Commission|Amend commission]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Amend the designs for the Grand Inspiration of the Way to incorporate seven serene gardens</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 70 crowns, three months</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the completion of the Grand Inspiration</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Provides an income of five liao each season to each Voice of Virtue
* Creates a serene garden that each voice could use to preach their Virtue
* Creates the Annals of Virtue, allowing a Voice of Virtue to record a single crucial statement of Virtue or teaching at the end of the year after their appointment.
* Provides the Guildmaster of the Artisans with a stipend of 4 thrones a season, if they agree to arrange for the creation of suitable regalia for the voices
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
While Rinnah's statement failed to achieve a greater majority, it was the only one that suggested how the halls of the Grand inspiration may be fitted out. With the urging of the Ambition Assembly that speed matters, the [[Wayfarer|Wayfarers]] of Highguard insist that there should be some place for the [[Voice of Virtue|Voices of Virtue]] to preach to those who come to the Grand Inspiration seeking their benedictions. A set of seven beautiful gardens is proposed where the gathered can contemplate their sermons and take time to meditate on their chosen path.

The increased prominence of the Voices would mean that they would receive an addition income of five liao. In addition there would be a library set up for the voices to record important statements and particularly elegant quotes and sayings to be recorded for posterity. The Annals of Virtue would be housed in the Grand Inspiration to record select statements of principle whose perspicacity and wisdom moved them beyond the day-to-day business of the Synod.

In the final season of their term, the Voice could choose a single statement of principle that their Assembly passed in the previous year since they were elected. This should be a statement, either part of the wording or all of it, that cut to the core of their Virtue that they believe future priests would do well to consider and debate with their colleagues. That statement will be recorded in the "Annals of Virtue" along with up to a hundred words of commentary by the Voice on the importance of the teaching. If the Voice does not deem a statement worthy, they may wish to not submit one rather than diminish the whole with an unworthy part.

Finally there is a question of finding a way to provide the voices with suitable regalia. A number of Highborn benefactors are keen that they should have some suitable symbol of their office or position, an item that can help them with their duties. Unable to agree what form such regalia should take, they decide to write to the [[Guildmaster of the Artisans]], '''Xanthius Storm's End''', and make a public offer of a regular income of 4 thrones a season, if they will undertake to ensure that each Voice is provided with a suitable crafted magical item. The hope is that the Guildmaster will arrange to speak with each Voice after they are elected, to agree with them what magical item they would like to have made. If the Guildmaster wishes to accept the offer then he can collect the first payment of four thrones from the head of the civil service, ''Leonardo i Del'Toro i Riqueza''.

===Four not Forty===
{{SOP|statement=The Way and the Empire are a not a monolith, but a mosaic construct of profound, and beautiful traditions, human and orc, united nonetheless by faith, Synod and Doctrine. The life and worship of the greatest monument must reflect and and celebrate this diversity in order to truly uplift every soul in the Empire. Therefore, we look to the Senate to ensure that the completed Grand Inspiration is governed by a college of residentiary Canons, one elected by each National Assembly, and led by a Dean chosen by the Assembly of Nine, who will together be charged with this sacred task. Let us show that the past, present, and \future of the Way is here in the ten Proud nations of the Empire who stand together in Virtue.|by=Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard, Highborn Assembly|vote={{GM}} 440-62|when=Spring 388YE|size=small}}
* '''The Highborn Assembly has called for residentiary canons, elected by each National Assembly, to sit in the Grand Inspiration'''
* '''Nations could instead choose to copy the Highborn tradition of having a speaker for each assembly'''
Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard has raised a statement in the Highborn Assembly calling for residentiary canons, one to be elected by each National Assembly. No such canons exist at the moment, so the Senate would need to create the titles, but if that happened, then a place could be made for them in the Grand Inspiration. The statement does raise questions in some quarters. With Cardinals, Champions, Voices and Inquisitors already, is there truly a need for an additional round of titles? At what point do titles without practical legal powers disincentivise the impetus for individuals to take it upon themselves to further the cause, as surely the titled person will do it?

One possible alternative might be to embrace Nicodemus' role as [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]. Besides Highguard, there are four other nations with an existing title whose responsibilities include guiding their national assembly, and ensuring their nation's traditions are upheld. Each title is unique, reflecting the nation's pride and priorities. The existing titles are:

* [[Archbishop of Capodomus]]
* [[Herald of the Throne of Glory]]
* [[Speaker of the Crows]]
* [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]
* [[Voice of Barbs]]

Given these five titles exist and their responsibilities seem to parallel those identified in the statement, would they not be the natural choice to take up residency in the Grand Inspiration? Creating offices for the ten "speakers" would enhance their prestige and give them a place to stay and work when visiting the Grand Inspiration. Of course there are only five at present, but the Highborn Assembly could prepare chambers for each of them and set aside space for the other five nations to occupy if they create a similar position with the responsibility to chair their national assembly and champion their nation's traditions.

Such a step would still require the [[Senate]] to create the titles in question, but it would mean each nation could create their own position when they were ready to act, rather than have the Senate try to create a canon for each nation. In addition, sinecures could be built in each nation that would provide these additional titles with the kind of support the Speaker of the Highborn National assembly currently receives.
<gallery heights=250 mode="packed">
Archbishop of Capodomus.jpg|'''Estella Lucati''' (right), Archbishop of Capodomus
Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark.webp|'''Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark''', Speaker of Crows
Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard.jpg|'''Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard''', Speaker of the Highborn Assembly
Eirlys Ashes Blaze.jpg|'''Eirlys Ashes Blaze''', Voice of Barbs
</gallery>

===Language beyond words===
* '''The Highborn Assembly could enact a mandate encouraging cantors to support the Grand Inspiration of the Way'''
* '''If that happens, the commission could be amended to incorporate a choristers balcony into the edifice'''
* '''Doing so would make a new Highborn archetype, the cantor, available to players'''

The Highborn are known for their musical traditions. The voices of their [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantor cantors] have carried battle anthems across every corner of the Empire, its words sown into the very earth itself. The ineffable power of a host of choristers singing the songs of Virtue, using music to speak the truth and joy of salvation to stir the heart in harmony that mere language by itself finds insufficient. Too long, some say, have the virtue and evangelism of those whose voices can ignite faith in the hearts of others in this way been overlooked.

{{Mandate|mandate=Those who spread salvation with the inspirational beauty and power of their voices must come forth to take up their rightful place in the Grand Inspiration. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to encourage the cantors of our nation to congregate and sing the songs their souls yearn to share that all may hear them and know their destiny.|assembly=Highguard National Assembly}}
<div {{float}}>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Choristers Balcony'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Commission#Altering_an_Existing_Commission|Amend commission]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Amend the designs for the Grand Inspiration of the Way to incorporate a grand balcony for the choir</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 20 thrones</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:'''
* Only available if the mandate is enacted to encourage cantors to attend the Grand Inspiration
* Available until the Grand Inspiration is completed</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:'''
* Encourages Highborn cantors to attend the Grand Inspiration
* Makes the cantor archetype available to Highborn players
</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
If this mandate is enacted, choristers who use the numinous power of music to inspire and uplift the Virtuous will attend the Grand Inspiration in Bastion. Those who inspire the faithful through majestic voices united in concert will come to witness the construction of the great edifice and lend the power of their voices to raise the spirits of those who work there. If that happens, the Imperial Senate could use a Senate motion to amend the Grand Inspiration of the Way to incorporate an impressive choristers balcony to allow singers to perform from. The balcony would include a hymnal library to keep records of the most inspiring music from across the whole Empire. Highborn choristers would attend the Grand Inspiration to sing with their fellow devotees, filling the great cathedral with mellifluous voices.

By putting the choral tradition of the Highborn at the centre of the Grand Inspiration, the important role of the cantor would be promoted all across the nation. The cantor tradition would be reinvigorated, not just musicians and choristers, but all those who create stirring works to inspire others; architects who build grand edifices; craftspeople who make stained glass windows or weave enormous tapestries and other artists who produce works on a grand scale. ('''OOC Note:''' the '''cantor''' archetype, one who employs the musical traditions of the Highborn to spread the Way would be available to players).

==Further Reading==
* [[The highest calling]] - 387YE Autumn wind of fortune introducing the highest calling
* [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Question_of_Scale|Blood with thicken]] - 385YE Spring wind of fortune introducing the Grand Inspiration of the Way

Pride and paragons

2026-08-06T11:57:08Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:386YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
<ic>Ruth glanced nervously at her brother Enoch, her nerves were so bad her hands were shaking. He locked eyes with her, his calm demeanour filling the space between them with Courage. He nodded encouragement, just once, but it was all she needed.

Screwing her Courage to the sticking-place she turned and mounted the steps of the pulpit. She put her notes on the rostrum in front of her and then looked up. The small chapel was full, it seemed like every member of their chapter was here. All forty seven of them. She swallowed nervously and realised her mouth was dry. She glanced down at her notes and spotted the glass of water Enoch had put there an hour earlier. She felt his Loyalty wrap round her like a cloak as she wet her lips. No more delays she thought, it's now or never.

"The General Assembly have..." she cracked and broke before she could finish the first line. She'd been working on this for the last two years, but her stomach was churning. Come on, she thought, you can do this, you can do this. "The General Assembly have..." She stopped again.

"As you know, the General Assembly have renounced Vardas. The pioneering work published by Hazelelponi, our Lepidean Librarian, has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that his life was a fiction." A murmur went through the room, but she was too nervous to sense the meaning of it. Her hands tightened on the rostrum, and she pressed on.

"I invite my chapter to consider that this development is an opportunity we should embrace, not fear." Her voice was growing stronger now as she warmed to her subject. She'd practiced this sermon with Enoch so many times and she tried to convince herself this was just the same.

"The age in which we live is filled with Virtue. Our leaders have set in motion events that will one day rid the world of slavery. Our generals dragged the Druj to the verge of destruction. As archivists, we are trained to sift through the dirt of the past to find the virtuous jewels. But I ask you all to consider how our world would look to us if we saw current events in the same way we see the past. What if our obsession with the inspirational figures of the past is blinding us to the extraordinary reality of the present. What if we didn't have the paragons and the exemplars to inspire us - what if we had to look to each other for inspiration?"

She paused to draw breath and carefully took another sip of water. She worried someone might shout out some interruption, but the room was silent as the grave. What did Enoch use to say - so quiet you can hear the ghosts breathing.
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_General.png|caption=The General Assembly|align=left|width=300}}</div>
{{PDFLink|align=right|link=File:Pride and paragons.pdf|caption=Click for pdf version}}
==Overview==
In summer, the [[Lepidean Librarian]] took the Courageous decision to publish in full the library's findings on the [[Life of Vardas]]. This research appeared to show that [[Vardas]] was not a paragon, that in fact they had never existed. Their entire life story was essentially a collection of tall tales, penned by [[The_League_magical_traditions#mountebank|a League mountebank]] to make a quick ring. Some of the inspirational stories from the paragon's life were based on things actual people had done and the author simply changed the name, but there was no evidence that the man called Vardas had ever existed at all.

Vardas has been recognised as a paragon of Vigilance for well over three centuries - they were recognised by the Highborn Assembly of Vigilance in 34BE - thirty four years before the Empire was even founded. The discovery that it was all a lie and there was no Vardas threatened to be as a [[True_faith|hammer blow to the faith]] that would damage people's faith in the judgement of the [[Synod]]. If they were taken in by these lies, what other mistakes may have been made?

At the Autumn Equinox, the Synod moved decisively to prevent a full-blown crisis of faith from developing, using a judgement of recognition to renounce Vardas as a paragon. This decision has prevented a schism in the faithful, but just as anticipated, it has raised more questions than it answered.

The fear, the expectation, was that people would question all the paragons. After all, if Vardas is not real, how certain can people be that any of the paragons and exemplars are true? That has largely not happened. Rather than focus on which other paragons might be real or not, people are demanding answers to more existential questions about the nature of paragons and exemplars and the relationship of the faithful to them.

Sadly, the doubts engendered by the revelations about Vardas coupled with [[A_little_understanding|the recent condemnation of the four members of the Assembly of Nine]] for heresy and blasphemy have damaged confidence in the [[Construct_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|Grand Inspiration of the Way]]. The contributions from across the Empire have dried up, and it doesn't look like they are going to start again any time soon. Even the Highborn faith has been shaken, and the nation is now providing less than half what it once was. As a result, the civil service estimate it could now take a decade to finish the holy city if citizens at Anvil cannot make up the shortfall.

==False Paragons==
{{SOP|statement=We call for the Recognition of Vardas as Paragon of Vigilance to be removed in light of the research produced by the Lepidean Library. The figure of Vardas has been proven to be a fiction devised by Ivar Olyankavic Nathavolava in an attempt to profit from the embellished tales of adventure and therefore, no longer constitute an inspirational path to follow in pursuit of Enlightenment. The lie alone is enough reason to take this most serious action, but it must not be forgotten that those deeds of virtue and vigilance assigned to Vardas were inspired in some cases by real Wardens whose legacy has been robbed form them by this fraud. Centuries of inspiration belong to those unnamed Wardens, whose virtues should shine from beneath the falsehoods. Let us remember the overlooked and Vigilant who act for virtue without fame. Remember the stories, but not in the name of Vardas.|by=Gaelen Embercast, General Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 2482-74|when=Autumn Equinox 386YE}}
* '''The General Assembly has passed a judgement with a greater majority to decisively renounce Vardas'''
* '''This has ''not'' caused people to question the existence of other paragons'''

The General Assembly has moved swiftly to prevent a crisis of faith, using a judgement of recognition to renounce Vardas. The judgement confirmed what, by then, was already well known but not entirely accepted. That Vardas was a fiction, their life a story fashioned from acts of Virtue stolen from other people's lives. The judgement by Gaelen Embercast, the Cardinal of Vigilance, implored people to remember that the inspirational deeds attributed to Vardas were real enough, even if the man himself never existed. But the cardinal was forced to acknowledge that these were the acts of many different people. The idea that one singular human being could achieve so much by themselves, that they could be a literal paragon of Vigilance, is no more.

The word of the Cardinal of Vigilance, backed as it is by the greater majority of the General Assembly, has prevented any possibility of a schism over the revelations. There were people who doubted the veracity of the Lepidean Librarian's scholarship or suggested that it was some scheme to rob the Assembly of Vigilance of one of its most inspirational figures. The judgement has taken the wind out of the supporters of Vardas, forcing them to accept that this revelation, no matter how bitter it tastes, is the truth.

The fear of many scholars of the Way was that this action would lead people to question the existence of all the paragons. By and large, that hasn't happened. The truth about Vardas has come as a terrible shock to people, but in part it is because of the baseness of the deceit. Now that people know that Vardas is a work of fiction, people find it hard not to associate it with the author of the stories, Ivar Olyankavic Nathavolava.

What Ivar did, as the cardinal's judgement has confirmed, is to steal the virtuous tales of other people and make them his own. He might have done it to make money, but the precepts are Prosperity are very clear that there is nothing Prosperous about stealing. The people whose lives Ivar stole might have been inspirational, but the author's own life story is one of petty theft and larceny. There's nothing remotely impressive about that. But to many people it's as if this theft was committed by Vardas themselves, - as if the literary figure that Ivar constructed is the one who stole the Virtuous actions from other people. Vardas, once a paragon of Vigilance who dedicated his life to fighting crime, is revealed to be nothing more than a petty criminal himself. It's not the fact that Vardas wasn't real that ultimately distresses people; it's that his story is tawdry and exemplifies naked self-interest.

What makes it worse with Vardas is that, of all the paragons, he was one of the few whose life felt relatable to many citizens in the Empire. He felt real to people, in a way that [[the Marked]] or [[the Sentinel]] or some of the others do not. The names, the places, the people described in the stories of Vardas' life were familiar to people - you could visit the places described in the tales about him.

Many of the paragons feel less real and strangely that makes the truth of their lives feel less important. One Highborn archivist gives the example of [[Tian]]. There are citizens who believe that Tian actually took fire from the actual sun... but there aren't that many. Most people, if pushed, think that on some level, the story of Tian's life is a metaphor. There are known to be copies of Tian's Epic, kept secretly in Highborn chapter houses, but people aren't pressing to have them dragged into the light of Day because there is a sense that it doesn't actually matter whether Tian took fire from the Sun or just discovered Summer magic as some scholars hypothesise. What matters is that her life inspires. If it came out that actually she just robbed a passing torch seller, then people would be devastated, it would just be Vardas all over again, but nobody imagines that is likely to be the case.

People are still angry and distressed by the lies of Vardas. But rather than push to have every paragon and exemplar thoroughly vetted, people are asking much more profound questions about the nature and role of the paragons and exemplars. There are as many questions as there are faithful, but broadly they fall into three main areas.

===Where Do the Signs Come From?===
* '''People want to know ''how'' the signs of the paragons were chosen'''

[[The Doctrines of the Faith]] state that you can identify a paragon by them having completed six of the eight signs of the paragons. But how were the signs chosen? Who chose them, and why did they pick those signs? Once they are looked at with a critical eye, some of the signs of the paragons look strange. The one cited most often is Pilgrimage - a paragon must have made a pilgrimage to Bastion - but many paragons are thought to have lived in a time before Bastion existed. [[Schools_of_thought#Critical_Realism|Critical realists]] have consistently argued that the sign of pilgrimage is a purely political sign with no grounding in faith or doctrine.

Liberation is another sign that people often argue about - a sign that can literally never be checked except in the negative. There is no way to ''know'' that someone has escaped the Labyrinth, you can only ever know that they haven't (if someone has a past life vision of being that person). Why are paragons judged against a sign that it's logically impossible to know if someone has met?

[[Schools_of_thought#Absolute_Aspirationalism|Absolute aspirationalists]] argue that ''nobody'' should be recognised as an exemplar or paragon. The argument was often predicated on the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_Human_Destiny|Doctrine of Human Destiny]], because the implication is that paragons are better in some way than other humans. In recent times, absolute aspirationalists tend to make arguments based on inspiration - that the Way's emphasis on the extraordinary lives of the paragons causes people to overlook the extraordinary acts of Virtue that happen, simply because they aren't accompanied by miracles or other signs of the paragons.

The [[Schools_of_thought#Pragmatic_Secularism|pragmatic secularists]] have long been critical of the [[Signs of the paragon and exemplar#Miracles|miracle]] sign and denied that exemplars and paragons have any supernatural element. Instead, they claim they are simply people whose virtuous behaviour inspires others.

If the paragons are judged against the eight signs of the paragon, then surely it makes sense to know more about the signs? How were they chosen and by whom? Such a line of enquiry begs the question - that the signs of the paragon might not be perfect. If the Empire pursues this question, they are likely to end up having to wrestle with the issue of which signs of the paragons are valid.

===What Are the Exemplars For?===
{{SOP|statement=The exemplars of vigilance lived and died in history, that of our nations, Their legacies are writ in stone, not story. You may visit the home of Major Benson, meet his descendants, stand up on his grave. You may see Berechiah's actions and his virtuous crimes in Imperial record. Make pilgrimage to their tombs. Reflect that these were people like you, heroes, not legends. Renew your faith.|by=Martin Orchard, General Assembly|when=Autumn Equinox 386YE|vote=1730-130}}
* '''People want the Synod to examine what exemplars are for'''

The inspirational figures are often spoken of as if they were two wheels on the same axle - paragons and exemplars. Paragons are defined in the Doctrines of the Faith, which lay out clear signs that they can be identified by. But exemplars are ''nowhere'' mentioned in the Doctrines of the Faith. If a paragon is defined by the Doctrines as a truly virtuous spirit, capable of freeing itself from the Labyrinth of Ages, what is an exemplar?

The common answer is that it is someone on the way to becoming a paragon. But isn't everyone who pursues the Way going through a continuous cycle of death and rebirth as they seek to become a paragon and free themselves from the Labyrinth? What is the official role of exemplars? Why do paragons need six of the signs and exemplars only four?

Paragons are usually seen as being more important than exemplars, but last season the General Assembly passed a judgement by Martin Orchard that seemed to imply that, actually, exemplars are more inspirational figures than the paragons because their lives are so much more real. [[Cora Holdfast]] was recognised as an exemplar in 379YE - there is absolutely no doubt of any kind at all that Cora was ''real''. There are too many people in the Synod today who were contemporaries of Cora, who can remember talking with her, spending time with her. Should people look for inspiration to a figure like [[Tian]] that feels like a legend they can't relate to, or to a flesh-and-blood person like Cora that many of them actually met?

Martin Orchard appears to be making an argument commonly associated with the [[Schools_of_thought#Aspirationalism|aspirationalists]] who have long argued that the distinction between exemplars and paragons is purely political, and has no benefit to the Way. They claim that the important thing is that these figures are ''inspirational'' and call for the distinction between exemplars and paragons to be disavowed.

If the Empire knew more about the history of exemplars, and why the first people to be named exemplars received that honour, then the Synod could wrestle with the deeper question of what exemplars are for - what role they should play in the Way?

===Why Do Paragons Only Display One Virtue?===
* '''The Synod has never named the First Empress as a paragon, because nobody can agree which Virtue she exemplifies'''
* '''Why does a paragon have to be associated with a single virtue'''

The modern process of recognising a paragon requires a judgement of recognition by a Virtue Assembly, followed by a subsequent judgement of recognition in the General Assembly with another greater majority. The process is very explicit that a paragon must be identified first by a Virtue Assembly - to identify which Virtue they are a paragon of.

But that idea ''isn't'' contained in the Doctrines of the Faith. There's no part of the Doctrines that requires you to believe that a paragon exemplifies a single virtue to the exclusion of all others. In fact, most people explicitly reject the [[Schools_of_thought#Purism|purist]] school of thought that says you can only be a paragon if you pursue a single virtue at every moment of your life.

The undeniable truth is that many acts that people undertake can't easily be divided into one Virtue or another. Is the soldier who marches to battle alongside his brother, Courageous to face death, Ambitious to dream of victory or simply Loyal to his kin? Most citizens would accept that it is can be a mix of all the Virtues that inspires someone.

You can only ever be dedicated to a single Virtue. You can only create auras of a single Virtue - and that is often cited as the basis for the argument that you can only be a paragon of a single Virtue. But the First Empress is arguably the most inspirational figure who ever lived. Why shouldn't she be a paragon of ''every'' Virtue as the followers of [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_First_Empress|the First Empress]] claim?

The [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_Excessionist_Heresy|excessionists]] go further, arguing that an excess of Virtue can be a bad thing. The suggestion is that the perfect approach to the Way is to strive to follow all the Virtues equally. That is completely at odds with the idea of the paragons, but only if you demand that each paragon only exemplifies a single Virtue.

If the Empire knew why the founders of the Synod believed that a paragon could only be associated with a single Virtue, it might help them understand the paragons and exemplars better. Such research risks restarting the Excessionist Heresy and other schisms, but it might help the Doctrinal Reform Council when they come to examine the Doctrine of the Paragon.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Archivist1.jpg|title=Highborn Archivists have a calling, but they are more concerned with deeper truths than mere facts.|width=300|align=right}}</div>

==The Next Question==
* '''Many scholars of the Lepidean Library are heartbroken by their own role in the disavowal of Vardas and plan to retire'''
* '''If they quit the Library immediately, it will no longer be able to carry out historical research on behalf of the Lepidean Librarian unless a compromise is reached'''
* '''If the Library avoids researching the life of a paragon or exemplar for the next year then the problem will be averted'''
* '''They are prepared to focus their attentions on one of the three questions raised to try and offer the Synod assistance in answering them'''

Most of the scholars of the [[Lepidean_Librarian#Lepidean_University|Lepidean University]] are traditional Highborn [[Highguard_history#Archivists|archivists]]. To an archivist, the purpose of studying history is to find inspiration. The blunt truth is that many of them would have preferred to discreetly drop the research on Vardas before the truth could come out. There is some suggestion that they have done this in the recent past. Many of those who work at the Library are now filled with anguish and grief at the outcome of their painstaking work.

To an archivist, the past is not a set of facts to be curated, but a rich source of inspiration that provides a Way to Virtue. Some archivists describe themselves as sculptors, cutting away the minutiae of the past to allow the Virtuous story to emerge. A number of archivists are firmly of the view that it doesn't matter in the slightest that Vardas wasn't real - what matters is that their legend inspired Imperial citizens for three hundred years to be vigilant and fight crime. And now, instead of an inspirational legend that generations of Highborn will grow up aspiring to imitate, the Empire is left with a sorry tale about the importance of not putting too much in faith in inspirational figures in case they turn out to be liars and thieves. They regard what happened with Vardas as destructive iconoclasm that has aided nobody.

After lengthy discussion, the scholars who feel most strongly about this point have decided to retire in the coming months. The thought that they might be asked to investigate the life of [[Tian]] or [[Kethry]] or [[Atuman]] and be forced to discover and reveal some tawdry detail about a great paragon's life is too much to bear. It would take some time for the Library to replace these experienced individuals if they all retired en masse, and so a painstaking compromise has been agreed.

For the next year, the Library will focus its work on the past life visions and will not be asked to carry out research into paragons and exemplars. If that is amenable to the Lepidean Librarian, then most of the existing researchers will agree to continue at the Library until replacements can be found. If not, if the Librarian tries to force the issue by demanding new work be done on a paragon or exemplar, then the archivists employed by the Library will leave, and the Library's ability to research anything will come to an abrupt end.

To compensate for this loss, the staff of the Library have offered to help the Librarian attempt to answer some of the questions that have been raised by the publication of the story of Vardas. They are happy to devote the resources of the Lepidean Library to research on one of the three questions outlined above and believe that they are uniquely well placed to deliver the kind of information that would help the Synod wrestle with these issues in a way that will test the Way but they hope leave it stronger than before. They can't answer the question itself, but they can research the facts surrounding the issue and present those to the Synod for discussion.

The librarians warn that any of the three topics would take time to research thoroughly. They cannot be completely certain, but they believe that each question would take six months to answer. This work would be ''instead'' of the normal research conducted by the Library, so it could not be used at the same time that research into a past life was commissioned. They would present their findings to Hazelelponi, or to the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]] in their absence. They trust that either of these two figures will be able to deal with their report appropriately and publish whatever parts of it they think will benefit the Empire. Of course, the Librarian could refrain from issuing any instruction to the scholars at all, if they feel this work would be too dangerous, but that would mean they would lose this final benefit from the Library.

The Librarian can use their power to direct the Library using an [[Senate_announcement|announcement]] in the Senate, indicating which of the three questions - if any - they would like the librarians to work on.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Hazelelponi.jpg|align=right|caption=Hazelelponi of the [[Highguard_groups#The_Shattered_Tower|Shattered Tower]] is the [[Lepidean Librarian]], who guides the research of the [[Lepidean_Librarian#Lepidean_University|Lepidean University]].|width=400}}</div>

==Outstanding Work==
* '''There is a forthcoming piece of work on Tom Drake which is currently delayed'''
* '''One of the staff at the Library has publicly asked the Marcher Assembly to pass judgement on the matter'''
* '''This request is informal and the Assembly has no legal right to intervene in this way, but any response is likely to influence the outcome regardless'''
* '''Friars, monks, and congregation owners of the Marches will receive a letter in their pack from ''Mattias of Virtue's Rest'''''
In Summer 386YE, the Lepidean Librarian instructed the Library to [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Research_Tom_Drake|research the life, history, and personal values of Tom Drake]]. The instruction came a season after the Library were asked to look into the life of Vardas, which may have influenced how people feel. The work is now overdue, but it is has become painfully clear that the Library are dragging their feet. They keep asking for more time to check their findings and have dropped veiled hints to the Librarian that they are struggling to meet the expressed goal - to find ''"information on his Legacy can re-inspire that Pride for things, both small and great."''

One of the more traditional archivists, Mattias of Virtue's Rest, has very publicly argued that the work the library is doing goes against years of established Highborn tradition. According to Mattias, the problem with iconoclasm is that ''"smashing shit up is easy and makes you feel great, but after the music stops all you're left with is a pile of broken shit"''. Though his colleagues suggest he was deep in his cups when he said that, he has gone on to repeatedly request that the Library petition the Senate to change their remit to something more acceptable to traditional archivists - claiming that the study of history should be a search for inspiring Virtue rather than miserable facts. These requests have routinely been rebuffed by Leontes the Scribe as inappropriate suggestions from a civil servant working in an official capacity.

In frustration, Mattias has taken the unprecedented step of publicly appealing to the Marcher Assembly to weigh in on this matter. He has informed his superiors that he has written letters to several Marcher priests, imploring the Assembly to consider if they really want the Library to run the risk of besmirching the reputation of the single most important inspirational figure from Marcher history. Most of his friends think he's a fool, pointing out that the Marcher Assembly are no more likely to listen to a lowly archivist than the Highborn Assembly. It's not certain if any of the letters have reached their intended target but officially the civil service has been clear that these letters have no formal standing and the Marcher Assembly has no legal right to interfere in this matter.

The archivists working for the Library are clearly concerned about what they might discover about Tom Drake. The strictly legal interpretation that the Assembly has no right to interfere in this matter may be correct, but any clear statement from the Assembly is likely to be influential in this matter - whether it's "publish and be damned" or something more subtle like an instruction to "find out everything that will add to the inspiration provided by this important Marcher figure".
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Endeavours.png|caption=Inspiration for the grand endeavour has been provided, the ground is being cleared, the first white granite towers begin to rise.|align=left|width=400}}</div>

==The Grand Inspiration==
* '''The Grand Inspiration requires 1000 wains of white granite and 250 thrones'''
* '''To date the project has received 583 wains of white granite and 167 thrones'''
* '''The Highborn Assembly have invited priests from every nation that has contributed to preach at the Grand Inspiration once it is complete'''
* '''Donations from other nations have now stopped and donations from Highguard are waning as the Way is hit by one crisis after another'''
* '''At current rates it will be the best part of a decade for the holy city to be completed'''

The plan for the Grand Inspiration of the Way was conceived in Spring 385YE. The Imperial Senate had asked Naomi of Virtue's Rest to [[appraisal|appraise]] what could be done to [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Appraise_Pilgrims_of_the_Way|encourage pilgrims of the Way from foreign nations to come to the Empire]] with the explicit intention that Bastion take its rightful place as the birthplace of the Way and diminish the importance of its rival in [[Sumaah_Republic#Timoj|Timoj]]. If Naomi had been able to carry out the appraisal, history might have taken a very different course, but the Senate had already assigned her to a different appraisal and so [[Appraisal#Eilian_Sweetwater|Eilian Sweetwater]] was given the task in her place.

Eilian's proposal to create a new holy city of the Way was breath-taking in both scale and grandeur. A contest was arranged to find an artist with the vision to imagine this grand new edifice. The Assembly of Nine [[The_cities_and_the_city#Bastion:_the_Grand_Endeavour|chose to take elements from two designs]]; the sketches by '''Millward Cowley''' that laid out the basic design of the city building on conceptual art by '''Skywise Gralka''' that captured the idea of soaring towers and pealing bells. Together, they formed a plan for a new religious city. All that was needed was a thousand wains of white granite and 250 thrones to build it!

This was easily the largest [[commission]] the Senate has ever authorised, and it was clear it would take years to gather the materials needed. Fortunately, a number of nations were prepared to support the project. The national assemblies of the Marches, [[the Brass Coast]], [[Wintermark]], [[Navarr]], [[the League]], and Dawn all encouraged the Virtuous citizens of their nation to donate wains to support the project. Coupled with the ongoing donations from citizens of Highguard, the people of the Empire donated more than five hundred wains to the project. Sadly, most of those donations have now ended, only the Highborn people are still contributing to the Grand Inspiration of the Way. Without significant additional donations of white granite and money from wealthy citizens who attend Anvil, the civil service estimates it will take approximately ten more years to gather the remaining resources needed.
{{SOP|statement=A year ago, Rafael Barossa d'Apulian called for every citizen of the League to contribute whatever they could to support the raising of the Holy City in Bastion. Once again, the League rose to the challenge. Where others doubted, the League did not fear to act, matching their word with deed. The virtue of every citizen of the League who contributed will echo through history for 1000 years. There is nothing great without cost, and the Highborn recognise the courage in their commitment to building the greatest beacon of the faith the world has ever seen. We invite the League to send a delegation of bishops to teach in Bastion upon its completion. They have earned their place alongside Highguard and should be welcomed to spread their perspective on the way to pilgrims. Only through these bonds of kinship can the great inspiration enable the way to reach every soul in existence.|by=Dagon of the Shattered Tower, Highborn Assembly|vote=Greater Majority 588-18|when=Autumn Equinox 386YE|size=small}}
Most nations of the Empire have done what they can to support the Grand Inspiration - only Varushka, the [[Imperial Orcs]], and [[Urizen]] rejected the call to help. The Varushkans opted to create their own [[The_Deer_in_the_Sun#Constructing_The_Folly_2|Hall of Fabric Arts]] instead, while the Imperial Orcs preferred to build [[The_Deer_in_the_Sun#The_Library_of_Worth|a Library of Worth]]. The Urizen also opted to focus efforts towards their own projects, though their Assembly stopped short of calling it folly.

The Highborn Assembly subsequently passed eloquent statements of principle with a greater majority praising the Virtue of those nations who have contributed, one for every nation that heeded the call. Each carefully worded statement included an explicit invitation to [[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_8|the League]], [[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_25|Dawn]], [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_33|Wintermark]], [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_32|Navarr]], [[386YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_21|the Brass Coast]], and [[386YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_22|the Marches]] to send priests to Highguard to spread their perspective on the Way to pilgrims.

These invitations are a proud and virtuous sentiment. The Virtuous inspire others to greatness after all. But what are these priests coming to Highguard going to preach? Bastion is the heart of the Way, the faith began ''here''. Are Marcher priests going to come to the holy city and talk about shriving? Will Dawnish troubadours sing about the Virtues or will they share their belief in the power of glory and love to inspire people? The Synod has said these heterodox ideas are fine, even though they are not supported by the Doctrines of the Faith. It's easy to say that priests coming to Bastion are never going to preach heresy, that would be madness. But then, nobody imagined the Assembly of Nine would embrace a false virtue either...

The problems with Vardas and the situation in the Assembly of Nine have exacerbated the growing fears about heterodoxy and false virtues in the Empire. People agree that the new holy city must be something for the whole Empire, but in Highguard they are increasingly worried at the prospect that the project is fatally flawed. When confidence in the Way was high, people felt positive about building the greatest monument the world has ever seen to showcase their faith. They are significantly less convinced of the Wisdom of that approach when there is no saying what will be preached there. As a result, the donations from Highborn citizens have trailed off to a "mere" ten wains a season. It's not clear when, or even if, that can be restored, but at that rate, that edifice will take more than ten years to complete without significant donations from citizens at Anvil.

Many people are viewing this delay as a ''good'' thing. The Grand Inspiration can still be completed in their lifetime, but now there is time for Highguard and the Synod to contemplate what the Grand Inspiration is truly ''for''. Is it a monument to the Empire, a testament to the power of the nations to work together to create something extraordinary? Is it the beating heart of the Way, a place devoted to the study of the Doctrines of the Faith and the pursuit of virtue, that is free from heterodoxy and the taint of false virtues? If it takes ten years to complete, what will the Way even look like when the capstone is placed?

And some people are asking more profound questions. Why is Highguard pouring their efforts into building this giant monument to the Way, when the faith itself seems to be failing? Is this edifice actually the best way to safeguard the Way? What if [[Blood_will_thicken#No_Price_Is_Too_High|Aspar was ''right'']] when he implied the Grand Inspiration was quite literally a folly? The Way is in crisis - again. Surely Highguard should try to shore up the faith itself rather than shoring up the building meant to house it?

<ic>"I'm just saying, maybe this proves that now is the time for a grand inspiration..." Amos sat with her mug of coffee slowly cooling down, staring out the window at the miserable weather.

"Face facts, love, t'other nations aren't putting granite in any more. It'll prolly take decades." Hezekiah was doing that thing that he did sometimes, where he tried to be helpful but just made it slightly worse.

"The Empire has taken almost forty decades to get this far. Do you honestly think another one would make a difference?" Amos took a swig of her drink and looked at her partner. "Hezzy, I love you and I probably always will. But sometimes I just need you to hear me and not try to solve my problems."

Hezekiah flushed, his labyrinthine markings turning a shade of deep bronze. "Aye, but what 'bout t'other stuff? We've got forts and citadels and who knows what else that need granite."

"I care about virtue, Hezzy." Amos finished her drink, grimacing slightly at the dregs. "I always will, and I know that others might question the building of this. But I think building it is the right thing to do." She smiled as she stood up and picked up her things. "I know that part of being virtuous is facing unwelcome truths, but I don't think that's what this is. This is a difficult thing, and I accept that."
</ic>

==Further Reading==
* [[Life of Vardas]]
* [[Paragons and exemplars]]
* [[Schools of thought]] - Various philosophies regarding paragons and exemplars
* [[Schisms and Heresies]] - popular approaches to the Way that are not entirely mainstream
* [[True faith]] - Autumn 386YE wind of fortune about the post-Vardas crisis

Lay the foundations

2026-08-06T11:56:31Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Spring]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
<ic>
"586... 587... 588..."

Zaccai stopped to draw breath. The burning sensation in his calves was getting steadily worse. It felt like there was a hot fire in the muscle in his left leg and his right was not much better. 588 he reminded himself. It was important to keep count. Someone had told him there were meant to be seven hundred and seventy-seven steps. It wasn't finished yet, so he couldn't check, but still it was important to keep count.

He took a deep breath and then set off again. "589... 590... 591..." Every other step brought him a foot closer to the top.

He glanced over the side, and the drop made his head spin. Far below, the people looked like dots. One of them was waving at him. It looked like Ezra but it was hard to be sure. "592... 593... 594..."

The rest of his family had already been to the top ''and'' back down again. They'd be at the bottom somewhere, waiting for him. Probably cursing him for doing this. "595... 596... 597..." They'd taken the easy route, hitching a lift on the loading platform used to raise stone to the top. Like regular visitors. The way proper visitors would get to the top when it was all finished. "598... 599... 600..." Zaccai didn't care for the idea of being a proper visitor. One hundred and seventy-seven to go.

He'd passed several stonecutters on the way, carving beautiful depictions of the symbols of Ambition into the hard stone. "601... 602... 603..." They'd stared at him like he was a rampaging barbarian. What in Virtue's name was he doing? "604... 605... 606..."

As soon as he'd set eyes on it he knew what he had to do. "607... 608... 609..." He decided it was the tallest of the seven towers, but the guide said they were all going to be exactly the same height. "610... 611... 612... " They wouldn't be the same height if he was working on it. He'd make this one taller than the rest. After all, it was the most important Virtue. "613... 614... 615..."

He stopped again. He was breathing heavily, but he was determined to make it. His Ambition today was to climb all the way to the top of the tallest tower in the whole world. And nothing, not burning legs, not burning lungs, was going to stop him.
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 30%; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Laying the foundations.jpg|align=left|width=2000}}</div>
===Overview===
The Highborn National Assembly have declared the completion of the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be their [[The_highest_calling#The_Highest_Calling|highest calling]]. The judgement, raised by '''Eli of the Cenotaph''', comfortably won the support of the greater majority of the assembly - there can be no doubt about how important this is to the nation.

Despite the best efforts of all the cynics and pessimists, the greatest building project in the Empire - likely in the whole world - is almost on schedule. The original plans assumed that the work would take a minimum of three years to complete, but it could easily take longer. Barely more than two years have passed, and already slightly more than two-thirds of the thousand wains has been contributed. There was a lull in donations after the first year, but the flow of wains has never stopped - if anything, it has increased lately. There is a lot still to be done, but nobody can doubt the commitment to the Way.

The results are already stunning. Visitors to Bastion are awestruck by the sheer enormity of the structure, and it isn't even complete yet. The main focus, the seven great towers arranged around the central structure, seem to rise up to meet the clouds. One Dawnish troubadour was inspired to write that the Grand Inspiration appears to ''hold up the sky''. A little romantic perhaps, but it captures some of the awe-inspiring majesty of the structure. Even with scaffolding everywhere, it is possible to sense how sublimely beautiful it will be when it is done. Great pillars of perfect white granite, stretching to span the divide between the earth and the heavens.

There is a great deal of work still to do; a little over 281 wains of [[white granite]] are needed, and a lot of money to find to finish it. But the Grand Inspiration <u>will</u> lay the foundations necessary to inspire pilgrims across the world to visit Bastion and be truly inspired. An astonishing legacy that will endure far beyond the lives of any now living. But first, it must actually be finished. The nation of Highguard has been straining every sinew to support this Ambition for two years now, but the statement by ''Eli of the Cenotaph'' causes passions to resurge, and enthusiasm to reach new peaks. People are starting to sense what could be...
{{SOPInner|statement=The completion of the Grand Inspiration of the Way is the highest calling of the nation of Highguard. Through its completion we will lay the foundations necessary to inspire pilgrims to spread the Way across the known world. It will be the greatest tool we will leave our future lives and a legacy that will endure.|by=Eli of the Cenotaph, Highguard National Assembly|vote={{GM}} 750-0|when=Winter 387YE}}

==The Possible Dream==
* '''The Cinderpath Exchange has gained the ability to purchase additional white granite for the next year'''
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''White Granite'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>72 crowns</td><td>3 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>144 crowns</td><td>6 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>216 crowns</td><td>9 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>288 crowns</td><td>12 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>360 crowns</td><td>15 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>435 crowns</td><td>18 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>516 crowns</td><td>21 wains of white granite</td></tr>
<tr><td>603 crowns</td><td>24 wains of white granite</td></tr>
</table></div>
With the commitment of the founding people of the Empire reaching new peaks, there is an inevitable surge in citizens looking to help any way they can. People are already selling their [[white granite]] on the [[Cinderpath Custodian|Cinderpath Exchange]], but in chapters all over the nation people look for whatever they can find to contribute. A handful of herbs might not amount to much, but when the goods are sold and the money pooled with others, they can raise enough to buy from [[the League|League merchants]], arrange a shipment with [[Sumaah Republic|Sumaah]] traders or order a consignment from the [[Sarcophan Delves]]. Any way at all that people can employ to obtain more white granite - and every wain earmarked for the Exchange as soon as it arrives.

The effects are immediate, with more white granite available than ever before. Prices are high and rising, but that is inevitable given how much white granite people are trying to procure. There are still costs to be paid, for shipping and to reimburse those citizens who could never afford to just donate the white granite. But citizens are doing everything they can to support the Exchange, in the belief that that is the best possible way to enable the nation to complete the Grand Inspiration.

As a result of the increased support, the Cinderpath Exchange has gained four additional ranks, allowing the Cinderpath Custodian to purchase more white granite. The effects will last for at least a year, and maybe longer with the right encouragement, provided citizens can see the benefits of their support are going to the Grand Inspiration.

==Let the Bells Ring Out==
<div style="float:right; width: 350px; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Approve Seven Great Bells'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' [[Commission#Altering_an_Existing_Commission|Amend commission]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Amend the designs for the Grand Inspiration of the Way to incorporate seven great bells</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Reduces the cost of the Grand Inspiration of the Way by 49 white granite and increases the cost by 49 mithril.
<tr><td>'''Special:'''
* Adds seven enormous mithril bells to the final design of the Grand Inspiration of the Way
* Does not require any funds or consume a Senate commission
* Would add 30 crowns a season to the Virtue fund once the Grand Inspiration is complete</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:'''
* Until the end of the Spring Equinox 388YE
</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Imperial Senate could vote to substitute 49 wains of mithril for 49 wains of white granite this season'''
* '''The bells will increase donations to the Virtue fund by 30 crowns a season once the Grand Inspiration is complete'''

Bells have always played a crucial role in Highborn life and they are foremost in the minds of many citizens at the moment due to the [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_16|the current pilgrimage of the hallowed bells of Virtue]] around the Empire. The centrepiece of the designs for the Grand Inspiration focus on seven great towers, one for each of the virtues, but to date there has been no planning for the bells that might be installed atop them.

If the existing designs were adapted, arrangements could be made for seven great bells to be installed, one in each tower. Each bell would be forged from seven wains of mithril, for a grand total of forty-nine wains in total. Various plans are proposed for how the effect of these new bells could be paired with the Hallowed Bells of Virtue, but nobody can agree on how to do that, so the matter is left for the Assembly to decide.

While the proposal would require mithril to complete the Grand Inspiration, the new designs would require less white granite, as the towers would then be open on all sides to allow the bells to swing freely and be heard for miles around. If the idea were adopted, then it would reduce the amount of white granite needed to complete the grand inspiration ''almost'' on a one-for-one basis.

Despite the small inrease in costs, The plan ''could '' make it easier for the Highborn to finish the work by providing an alternative way to complete the construction. Either way, the benefits would be significant, the inspirational effects of the great bells would lead to substantial donations to the Virtue fund by awestruck visitors to Bastion. As a result, the Virtue fund would receive 30 crowns a season, once the Grand Inspiration was complete.

The change would require a Senate motion to adapt the designs. That would have to be enacted this summit, before any more work is done on the Grand Inspiration, but the mithril could be provided later. Fortunately, the change to design is small so the change itself would not cost anything or need another commission.

==The Family Silver==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Ephisis001.webp|caption=The Lady of the Counting House will trade in almost anything.|align=left|width=3000}}</div>
* '''Following inquiries, the City of Gold and Lead has agreed they will make an offer to purchase a single existing Highborn commission each season for the coming year'''
* '''This summit, the Senator for Necropolis can use the ritual Ephisis' Scale to put a single commission up for sale to discover the best offer the City will make for it'''
* '''The herald will attempt to agree a price with the senator or their proxy in the Hall of Worlds on the final day'''
* '''Any deal will need the approval of the Imperial Senate at the following summit'''

Following the [[Monarchs_and_outcasts#How_to_Succeed_in_Business_(Ephisis)|other approach]] of the [[Ephisis|City of Gold and Lead]] to buy an Imperial commission, ''Magister Joanna'' has approached the heralds of the ''Lady of the Counting House'' to ask whether City might be willing to make offers to buy one or more Highborn commissions that are no longer needed

The City has wains to spend, of course - many of which they've bought from the Empire in recent times. Selling off the family silver is not the most appealing of prospects, but could it be worth it, if it provided the wains the nation needed? It might be painful to dispose of something in this way, but the more sacrifices people are willing to make, the quicker the Grand Inspiration can be completed.

The heralds of the City of Gold and Lead confirm they could definitely make enquiries... To that end, they will provide each of the Senators of Highguard ''in turn'', with a single chit each season for the coming year; Necropolis at this summit, Reikos in Summer 388YE, Bastion in Autumn 388YE and finally Casinea in Winter 388YE.

If the chit is placed in an [[Ephisis' Scale|Ephisis box]] along with a note naming a single extant structure or other defined feature (the ''Invisible Hand'' will trade in almost anything, remember) within their territory, and what the Senator might be interested in trading for it (assumedly, [[white granite]]), then agents of the ''Hidden Prince'' will make an offer for it to the Senator or their agent in the Hall of Worlds on the final day of the summit.

The city cautions that the senator will not receive as good a deal as the one they recently offered, given that they're going to the market rather than the market coming to them. Nonetheless, the negotiation would proceed in the normal fashion so that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discovery price discovery] can take place. Should an agreement be made, the City would put the sale to the Senate at the start of the following summit to see if the deal can be finalised. If it is, then expert heralds will, stone by stone, and brick by brick, disassemble the structure and transport it to the autumn realm, to be rebuilt for their buyer, exactly as it was, whoever that might be.

==The Second Age==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Grand Endeavours.png|caption=The art provided by '''Millward Cowley''' and '''Skywise Gralka''' has served as its own inspiration.|align=left|width=3000}}</div>
* '''Congregations can preach the coming of the Second Age of the Virtue'''
* '''Each congregation that takes the action will reduce the labour costs needed to complete the Grand Inspiration'''

It is foolish to get lost in the trees and fail to see the forest. The Grand Inspiration of the Way is not simply a grand pile of wains, but the statement that Highguard and the Empire are the centre of the faith. The indisputable founding place of [[the Way]] that undeniably marks the heirs of the First Empress as the ultimate authority on the doctrines of the Way. As it stands, the only 'rival' to that title is [[Sumaah_Republic#Timoj|Timoj]] in [[Sumaah Republic|Sumaah]]. [[Blood_will_thicken#A_Question_of_Scale|The completion of the Grand Inspiration]] will secure the dominant position of the Empire as the definitive source of inspiration and guidance for everyone who follows the Way.

The timing is apposite; there is something in the stars at the moment, people can ''feel'' it. A sense that history is being written, that the age is turning. If the First Age of Virtue began with the revelation of the first Empress, might not the completion of the Grand Inspiration herald the dawn of the Second Age of Virtue? A bold statement certainly, but one that seems to chime with the times.

In the coming year, congregations can take the lecture to '''Foretell the Coming of the Second Age of Virtue''', to preach the good news of the coming epoch. The more congregations that took part each season, the greater the benefits would be. The individual effects would be tiny, but a thousand raindrops can quickly turn into a flood. Virtuous citizens would make a pilgrimage to Bastion, to volunteer to help with the work of completing the Grand Inspiration, working to raise the monument to the heavens - doing their part to support the Grand Inspiration and ushering in a new era. They may not be builders, but they believe in the dream to be given form. Children, the elderly, all united by faith to add even a single brick and know they were part of this momentous occasion in the history of mortal ascension.

Any congregation that chooses to "Foretell the Coming of the Second Age of Virtue" would become part of the Way Assembly and receive votes and liao as normal, but the more congregations that take the option, the more volunteers there will be in Bastion, helping with the construction work and reducing the labour costs accordingly. A starting congregation taking the lecture will effectively contribute seven rings to the outstanding costs to build the Grand Inspiration; upgraded or enchanted resources will provide proportionately more.

==A Lasting Legacy==
<div style="float:right; width: 350px; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Empower the Speaker'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Motion Type:''' Amend title</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' Amend the title of Speaker for the Highborn Assembly to give them the power to announce a single commission or improvement for an appropriate shrine, church or inspirational location each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Allows the Speaker to announce a single commission that uses more white granite than all other resources combined each season without requiring a Senate commission</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Requirement:''' Requires the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be complete before the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the end of the Autumn Equinox 389YE
</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''If the Grand Inspiration can be completed in a year, the Custodes Clavium are offering to empower the Speaker for the Highborn Assembly'''
* '''If the Senate granted permission that would enable the Speaker to arrange a white granite commission each season to build on the legacy of the Grand Inspiration'''
The [[Recognition#Outcome|Custodes Clavium]] are a Highborn chapter in Bastion, dedicated to recording the lives of exemplars and paragons as well as those who have sat on the Throne. Their exarch is a passionate supporter of the Grand Inspiration, and is eager to see it completed. The chapter asks that the nation strive to finish the work before another year has passed, believing that only by setting themselves such a demanding target will they achieve the impossible.

If the Grand Inspiration can be completed before the beginning of the Spring Equinox 389YE, a little more than three years after it was first proposed, then it would demonstrate the towering accomplishments that are made possible when people pursue the Way. It is a demanding schedule; there is still a great deal to be done, but what harm could it do to try?

If the Empire are able to meet that Ambition within a year, then the Custodes Clavium would commit to place all the resources of their chapter at the disposal of the [[Speaker of the Highborn Assembly]]. The chapter are experts at the construction of shrines, churches and inspirational memorials to exemplars and paragons. In the past they have tried to support the use of [[recognition]] by the Synod, but that practice has fallen away for various reasons. Instead they propose to place their skills at the disposal of the Highborn Speaker. Who better to decide what the nation should build?

Their proposal would require the Imperial Senate to approve new legal powers for the Speaker, but with little direct cost to the Empire, that seems achievable. If that happened, then the Speaker would be able to announce a single commission for a new site, or an improvement to an extant one to make it bigger and more impressive. This construction would not require a Senate commission - the Custodes Clavium would provide all the skills needed.

==Choices==
<div style="width: 350px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: #C994FF;">'''Prioritise the Titles'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Judgement Type: ''' [[Statement of Principle]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Assembly: ''' Highborn National Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Wording:''' A clearly written statement identifying which one of the five sets of Virtue positions should be given offices in the Grand Inspiration of the Way next</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Highguard will consider what benefits could be had by granting those positions offices in the Grand Inspiration of the Way as part of their ongoing highest calling</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Availability:''' Until the beginning of the Spring Equinox 389YE</td></tr>
</table></div>
* '''The Highborn have declared the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be their highest calling'''
* '''Over the next year there will be many decisions to make regarding the nature of the holy site and how it will be used'''
* '''The Assembly must decide which question to consider next'''
* '''For the next year, the architects will take special note of any Highborn Assembly statement of principle regarding the construction or use of the Grand Inspiration'''

Now that the Highborn Assembly have declared the Grand Inspiration of the Way to be their highest calling, the focus on the nation will remain firmly on the great commission for the year ahead. There will be fewer opportunities to attend to other matters, but if an opportunity does arise to help fund or amend the project, then it will not be overlooked.

However, now that minds are focused on the Grand Inspiration, people are already starting to post questions about how best to employ this numinous wonder. Those issues are best addressed before the Grand Inspiration is complete, so the coming year is the perfect time to consider them. The commission is enormous, a huge edifice on an almost incomprehensible scale, but all the work thus far has been on the actual construction. There is still a great deal to be done on how the interiors will be laid out, to determine how people will actually ''use'' the Grand Inspiration. The architects are looking to the Highborn Assembly to provide that direction and will pay particular attention to any statement of principle in the Highborn Assembly concerning the construction or use of the Grand Inspiration.

One obvious matter is who could be housed in the Grand Inspiration of the Way and what could be done to support them. The new structure will have seven inspirational towers, with many rooms in them.... There are eight [[cardinal|cardinals]], a dozen [[virtue inquisitor|inquisitors]], seven [[gatekeeper|gatekeepers]], seven [[Current_Imperial_titles#The_Champions_of_Virtue|champions]], seven [[voice of Virtue|voices]]...

All of them would benefit from having resplendent offices in Bastion - it would increase the prestige of the title and provide other benefits that made it easier for them to carry out their appointed role. To ensure the work is not rushed, it would be best to consider each one in turn, rather than try to do them all. But the order in which they are assessed will be important. Currently the Grand Inspiration is empty - but that won't be true once rooms in the towers start being allocated. As a result, the earlier a set of titles are considered, the greater the benefits on offer are ''likely'' to be.

Now that the Highborn have declared the Grand Inspiration to be their highest calling, the work is just beginning.

==Let the Call Ring Out==
* '''The Virtue Assemblies and the three remaining National Assemblies have at least two more seasons and maybe longer to decide their highest calling'''
* '''Provided one assembly names their highest calling each season, then the opportunity will not expire'''

Despite the initial findings of the [[Civil Service|civil service]], there is no reduction on fervour from priests and layfolk of the Empire to find the true calling of their assemblies. People are eager to be engaged, but pleased that their assembly has demonstrated their great Wisdom by refusing to rush such a weighty decision.

As such, people are happy to remain patient, provided it is clear the matter has not simply been forgotten. As long as at least one highest calling is passed each season, the opportunity to raise any of the remaining highest callings will still be available at the following event.

Blood will thicken

2026-08-06T11:56:21Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:385YE Spring]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Appraisal]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
<ic>"So this is the first thing they'll see as they approach the Holy City. It'll be over a hundred foot high and there will be a light at the top that is visible from Necropolis." Faran gestured pointedly at the tall tower he'd painstakingly prepared, though it could hardly have been anything else. "There will be a gate here at the bottom of the tower, and stairs that lead up to the top of the tower. But once they reach the first floor they can take this bridge over the lake."

The crowd of older chaptermates peered at the tower. There were approving murmurs and several nodded their heads and exchanged knowing looks.

"After the lake is the Hall of Virtue. See - there are seven great pillars, arranged in a circle. It should have a domed roof... but obviously... " Faran's voice trailed off to avoid having to make excuses for the materials he used for his designs.

"It looks amazing" interrupted Carmen, beaming with Pride at her son.

There was a chorus of agreement from Carmen's siblings - everyone agreed it looked incredible. Compliments flowed like wine at a wedding, though most of them were about Faran rather than to him. He sighed slightly, they'd stopped paying attention now, and he hadn't even shown them the fire-lake yet. "One day," he thought to himself, "one day I'll create something amazing... and then..."

In his imagination he could see it perfectly, the smooth walls were white, not dirty brown like his model. He was standing inside the Hall of Virtue staring up at the ceiling, imagining how it would look when the sun was rising, throwing spears of light through the openings between the pillars. He could picture every part of it.

"Faran!" his mother shouted, pulling him out of his reverie. The family had moved on, going back to the blankets where the remains of dinner were still spread out. He sighed as he looked around, realising that the tide was coming in. Within an hour it would be gone. His beautiful sandcastle that he'd spent all morning creating would be taken by the waves, just like all the others.

"One day..." he whispered to himself as he went to help with the clearing up. "One day I'll build something so inspiring it will echo through the Labyrinth for a thousand years..."</ic>{{audio|link= https://youtu.be/OUPlN63GG8U?si=lFK4V6Z0d3d5CfQ6}}
==Overview==
At the Winter Solstice, the [[Senate]] instructed the [[Appraisal#The_Prognosticators_Office|prognosticators office]] to prepare two [[appraisal|appraisals]]. They asked ''[[Appraisal#Naomi_of_Virtue.27s_Rest|Naomi of Virtue's Rest]]'' to appraise how [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Appraise_Kahraman|the infrastructure of Kahraman might be restored]] and they also requested Naomi to [[384YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Appraise_Pilgrims_of_the_Way|consider]] ways by which pilgrims of the Way could be encouraged to travel to the Empire and how [[Bastion]] and the territories of the [[Bay of Catazar]] might rise to the challenge of [[Sumaah_Republic#Timoj|Timoj]].

Of course Naomi can't conduct both appraisals, and wherever possible the Auditor of the Imperial Treasury assigns prognosticators in the order the [[Senate motion|motions]] that [[Appraisal#Commission_an_Appraisal|commission the appraisal]] are raised. The newest member of the team, ''[[Appraisal#Eilian Sweetwater of Storm's Run Striding|Eilian Sweetwater of Storm's Run Striding]]'' has successfully petitioned ''Gerard La Salle'' to allow him to carry out the pilgrim appraisal. Officially the reason is that as a member of the [[Navarr]], Eilian is the ideal candidate to understand what might motivate people to move from one end of the earth to the other - and how to make them feel welcome when they get there. Unofficially Eilian is said to be fascinated by an opportunity to have a chance to help ''make'' history for a change rather than simply compiling it.
<quote by="Senator for Necropolis">To request Naomi appraise the means by which pilgrims of the Way from foreign nations can be enabled and encouraged to make pilgrimage to the Empire with a possible focus on escalating Bastion and the territories of the Bay of Catazar to the challenge of Timoj.</quote>

==Scale and Grandeur==
* '''Timoj is a city of splendour and wonder that exalts every aspect of the Way'''
* '''Bringing more pilgrims to the Empire from foreign nations means giving them a reason to come here'''
* '''To create something to supplant Timoj as the crucible of the Way requires a vast amount of white granite'''
Those foreign pilgrims of the Way who have the means can already find a ship prepared to bring them to the Empire without difficulty. The Empire could ease their passage by paying [[fleet|ship captains]] to bring pilgrims to the Empire, but Eilian abandons that option after some quick prognostications reveal the costs could easily run to hundreds of Thrones each season. What stops more pilgrims coming to the Empire is not the costs or the difficulty of the journey, but a lack of motivation. What people need is encouragement, a reason to come here, an opportunity to be inspired.

The truth is that the Empire may be the birthplace of the Way, but it largely lacks the great structures that mark Sumaah's dedication. Pilgrims travel to Timoj from all over the world, including the Empire, to climb the great ziggurats, to walk the halls of the impressive cathedrals, and to visit the awe-inspiring monuments they have raised to honour the [[paragons and exemplars]]. Any significant [[commission]] dedicated to the Way will convince some pilgrims to come to the Empire, but it is a vast undertaking to construct something that will rival Timoj in scale and grandeur.

It's not clear exactly what form that construction should take, but one thing is absolutely certain. It will be eye-wateringly expensive. Given the almost inconceivable amounts of white granite needed, Eilian has focussed much of his appraisal on ways the Empire might raise the materials needed. However the first part of his proposal is a suggestion for how the final design might be chosen.

==A Contest of Imagination==
* '''Eilian proposes a contest for the Empire's finest artists to create a design for a commission to celebrate the Way'''
* '''The benefactors of Pharos' Water have offered to provide an ancient Dragonbone Symbol to the winner of the contest'''
Scouring the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|historical records]] shows that over the centuries there have been a number of proposals for a great commission to demonstrate the wonder of the Way and inspire all those who see it. Some architects once suggested that the Empire build a ziggurat, a vast edifice of stone blocks that reaches to the sky, but that was rejected as lacking in Pride. The goal is to produce something that rivals Timoj, not to copy it. During the reign of [[Emperor James]] there was a proposal to build a beautiful garden, a thousand beautifully tended acres, each more intricate and perfect than the last, but that was rejected for a lack of Ambition. Critics argued that a garden was serene and calm, but the Way demanded something more majestic, a testament to the labours of humankind. [[Emperor Nicovar]] ordered Imperial architects to design a cathedral to Wisdom so vast that it would encompass every tome in the Empire and still have room for ten thousand pilgrims at a time, but his reign ended in tragedy before the work could begin. As recently as Summer 382YE, for example, the Severin encyclical prompted a proposal to [[More_work#The_Palaces_of_the_Cardinals|build palaces]] for the eight [[Cardinal|cardinals]], but there was little support for the idea.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Starcathedral.jpg|caption=The majestic [[Bishop_of_the_Navigators#Cathedral_of_the_Navigators|Cathedral of the Navigators]] dominates the ''Buitenlandsewijk'' - the foreign quarter of the [[Sarcophan Delves]].|align=right|width=600}}</div>
After giving the matter some thought, Eilian and his team conclude that it would be a mistake for them to propose a specific shape and form for the great commission. Eilian Sweetwater is an experienced historian but he's not an architect or an artist. A commission like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - the best way to ensure success is to find the best artist the Empire has, someone who can imagine something truly historic, something august and sublime that will fire the imagination of everyone who views it. He points to the [[Bishop_of_the_Navigators#Cathedral_of_the_Navigators|Cathedral of the Navigators]] in the [[Sarcophan Delves]] as an example of what Imperial art can achieve, transforming mere [[white granite]] and [[mithril]] into something possessed of sublime majesty.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; margin-left: 10px; clear: right;"><box>'''OOC Note'''<br>Empire includes a large element of hard skills - the success and triumphs that your character has on the field are often down to your abilities as a player, whether that's fighting in battle, trading in the Bourse or giving a speech in the Senate. For that reason we would politely ask participants to only submit original compositions created by participants in the game. This competition is a chance for the many fantastic artists in the Empire community to achieve glory. It's fine for a player-character to hire another player-character if they pay them with in-character funds, but submitting a piece of art that was purchased out-of-character, created by someone who isn't an active participant in Empire or using AI to create a submission is outside of the spirit of this contest.</box></div>
Eilian proposes that the Empire's artists work with the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of Nine]] to create sketches, drawings or paintings of some lofty vision, some great edifice that will serve to celebrate the Way and inspire everyone who visits it. It shouldn't be architectural plans, the Empire has scores of skilled architects only too keen to produce the technical drawings needed, once the shape and the form is agreed. Rather, Eilian's hope is that the Empire's artists can imagine something incredible. It could be a great cathedral with a vaulted roof, it could be an obelisk as tall as a mountain, or maybe a great statue of the First Empress. It could be anything - but it needs to be numinous beyond words - and vast enough to transform the White City. A [[statement of principle]] in the Assembly would then be used to determine which design or designs would be used to inspire Imperial architects. If the chosen designs are passed to the civil service then the Empire's architects can use them to guide the final commission.

Members of the [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[chapter]] of Pharos' Water have proposed that the only virtuous way to choose these designs is to hold an open competition. Let every artist in the Empire submit designs to the Assembly of Nine during the Summer Solstice. If the Senate then authorises the construction of the winning design, the chapter's [[benefactor|benefactors]] will provide the artist with the ''Wayfarers Guide''. This powerful [[Dragonbone Symbol]] was originally created for [[Emperor James]] but it was never delivered to [[the Throne]] as it was stolen before it could be handed over. The heroes of [[Anvil]], led by the Exarch of Pharos' Water, used a lucky [[Sentinel_Gate#Conjunctions|conjunction]] of the [[Sentinel Gate]] to recover the symbol from the thieves at the following summit. In return for their efforts the grateful Emperor gave the [[Magic_items#Artefacts|artefact]] to the chapter in recognition of their service to the Throne.

==A Question of Scale==
* '''A commission of any size will see an increase of pilgrims to the Empire'''
* '''To supplant Timoj as the centre of the Way, the Holy City would need 1000 wains of white granite and 250 thrones and take three years to complete'''
* '''Such a commission would ensure that the Empire becomes the undisputed source of spiritual guidance for the faithful throughout the known world'''
* '''Eilian has identified a number of ways that the Empire could help to fund the work'''
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Grand Inspiration of the Way'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type: '''[[Folly]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' The [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City of Bastion]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 1000 wains of white granite, 250 Thrones, three years.</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Makes Bastion the indisputable centre of The Way throughout the known world</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Restriction:''' The Assembly of Nine must have provided the civil service with a piece of art to inspire the Empire's architects and engineers before this project can be commissioned.</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Opportunity:''' This commission has [[Opportunity#Building_Opportunities|required elements]]; if any are not all fulfilled the commission does nothing</td></tr>
</table></div>
Designing something inspirational is only half the battle. Once the Assembly of the Nine have chosen something they believe will inspire the people of the Known World, it needs to be actually built. The Empire features numerous sites of Virtue, each of which is designed to inspire those who visit them, from the [[Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial|Imperial War Memorial]] to the [[Lorenzo%27s_Legacy#The_Bloody_Great_Theatre|Bloody Great Theatre]]. These sites are impressive, but they don't rival the great commissions created in Timoj. People come from all across [[Temeschwar]] and the Empire to see the Bloody Great Theatre, but they don't travel across the ocean to view its wonder. Nor is it simply a matter of il Volpe's garish tastes; the theatre lacks grandeur purely because of the limited size of the work. If the Empire want to create something genuinely awe-inspiring, something that will attract pilgrims from across the world, the commission will have to be on a scale never before seen in the Empire.

Any sizeable commission that is dedicated to celebrating the Way will increase the number of pilgrims travelling to the Empire if it is built in [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|Bastion]] (the city, not the territory). Every historian who studies the Way, no matter what nation they come from, knows that the White City is where the literal foundations of the Way were laid. While it may occasionally attract criticism, the [[Signs of the paragon and exemplar]] speak of a [[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Pilgrimage|pilgrimage]] to Bastion being something truly inspirational. Even if they wanted to, the Präster of the [[Sumaah Republic]] could not deny that Bastion is where the religion begins, and while it currently lacks the glorious ziggurats of Timoj, it holds a central place in the history of the faith.

The impact of a modest commission will be muted, no matter where it is built. It wouldn't rival the great structures in Timoj, but it would still be enough that some pilgrims would chose to come to the Empire after visiting the [[Sumaah Republic]]. A small increase in taxation is possible, if citizens take advantage of the opportunity to support the flow of visitors by establishing new [[business|businesses]] to cater to their needs. The bigger the commission, the greater these benefits will be. However, a commission intended to bring pilgrims to the Empire is never going to be the most efficient way for the Imperial Senate to spend its limited funds if the senators are chasing quick returns on their investment.

To have a dramatic impact, however, the commission would have to achieve the ultimate purpose of the appraisal, to escalate Bastion and the territories of the Bay of Catazar to the challenge of Timoj. The greatest show of Pride and Ambition would not be to rival Timoj, but to supplant it. To create a structure on such a vast scale that it outshone anything the Sumaah have created would need Bastion to be rebuilt as a holy city that dwarfs the one the Sumaah have established.

If the Imperial Senate orders the transformation of the White City into a [[folly|holy city]] to uplift the faithful that requires at least 1000 wains of white granite and 250 thrones then coupled with the historical significance of Bastion as the birthplace of the Way, it would create something vastly greater and more inspiring than anything ever built anywhere in the world, including Timoj.

A commission on this scale would be a historic triumph that reverberated around the world. It would remind everyone who follows the Way of a fundamental and undeniable truth - that the Way began in the Empire. Pilgrims will flock to the Empire from across the Known World, supplanting Timoj as the most important destination for a pilgrimage. There will be a vast influx of travellers coming to the Bay of Catazar to experience the grandeur of the new holy city. Inspired by what they see and experience, they will carry word back to their homes.

Once complete, this grand edifice would secure the dominant position of the Empire as the source of inspiration and guidance for everyone who follows the Way. The Sumaah may still look to their House of the Way for instruction, but they will never again be able to decry the lack of Pride and Ambition shown by the Empire. The faithful in other lands will look to the lead of the Imperial Synod, in recognition of its unique status. There is nothing like this anywhere in the Empire, or in the world. The [[Astolat#The Castle of Thorns|Castle of Thorns]] and the [[Holberg#The_City_of_Holberg|Walls of Holberg]] are grand in scale, but they are dedicated [[fortification|fortifications]], built primarily to defend a region. This holy city would exist purely to celebrate the true faith. A monument of this size has never existed in Imperial history - or in anyone's history - it would be completely unique.

It is of course, almost unimaginably expensive. On a somewhat crass level, that is rather the point. You can't build a monument to echo through the Labyrinth for a thousand years out of sand...

==Better By Far==
* '''The Highborn Assembly could inspire their nation to help transform the White City'''
* '''At the cost of their recent advantage when building commissions related to votes and liao, people could be inspired to contribute to the grand project'''
The Highborn chapters are eager to demonstrate the depths of their support for a new holy city in Bastion. Thanks to the [[Pieces missing everywhere#Dare_Do_All|recent mandate passed by the Highborn Assembly]], the Highborn people are ready and willing to support the creation of new buildings to celebrate the Virtues. The mandate enacted last season means that any Highborn commission that provided votes or liao would benefit from donations from enthusiastic supporters, improving the size and effectiveness of the construction. The holy city proposed by Eilian Sweetwater won't actually provide votes or liao directly, but nobody in Highguard is concerned about that. This is exactly the sort of visionary ideal that the chapters had hoped to see, albeit beyond any scale they could have imagined.

The Imperial constitution ensures that all the main sources of crucial building materials in the Empire are controlled by the [[Bourse]]. As a result the flows of significant amounts of white granite all go through Anvil, allowing the Empire to direct them to significant works. Individual citizens might possess a wain or two of mithril that they have held onto for many years. Some wealthy groups may even have access to a forest that provides enough weirwood to amount to a wain or two a year perhaps. A ship's captain might grab a chance to buy a wain of white granite while trading in Sumaah. Individually these resources don't amount to much, but across the entire population of four territories they are significant. It is these sources that the new mandate taps into, providing a potential source of additional white granite to support new commissions in the nation.

Rather than this piecemeal approach, the Highborn Assembly could urge every citizen in the nation to ''instead'' get behind this immensely Ambitious proposal.

{{Mandate|mandate=The holy city of Bastion is extraordinary, but nothing is beyond our grasp. We send {named priest} with 75 doses of liao to urge every citizen in Highguard to support this, and only this, edifice until all the materials are provided.|assembly=Highguard Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then the previous mandate will cease to provide any benefits. None of the chapters will have materials to spare to support any other commission, every wain of white granite that can be had will be sent to Bastion. Weirwood and mithril and other precious materials will be sold to provide funds for the construction or to buy white granite to donate. As a result, Highguard will donate 25 wains of white granite and 50 crowns every season to pay for the construction of the new holy city, ''until the work is complete''.

Such devotion is not without cost however. Everything Highguard can spare would be devoted to this extraordinary project - there would be no resources available for other plans. As a result it would be impossible to use a mandate to urge the Highborn to support another commission or similar project that needed help. Any mandate in the Imperial Synod that urged citizens to provide financial support to a different commission or cause would fail to affect Highguard until the funding for the holy city is complete. Any statement of principle in the Highborn Assembly that asked the nation for their support in this way would fail to produce a mandate.

The only way to change direction would be for the Highborn Assembly to issue a clear statement of principle asking the nation to forsake the construction. A mandate urging Highguard to abandon the holy city would end the flow of materials to the commission, but it would be a devastating blow to the Pride and Ambition of the nation.
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Nation'''</td><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Contribution'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>Brass Coast</td><td>8 wains, 16 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Dawn</td><td>12 wains, 24 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Highguard</td><td>25 wains, 50 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Imperial Orcs</td><td>4 wains, 8 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Navarr</td><td>12 wains, 24 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>The League</td><td>20 wains, 40 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>The Marches</td><td>16 wains, 32 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Urizen</td><td>12 wains, 24 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Varushka</td><td>20 wains, 40 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Wintermark</td><td>12 wains, 24 crowns</td></tr>
</table>
</div>

==No Price Is Too High==
* '''Other nations could encourage their own citizens to support the transformation of the White City into a holy city for the Way'''
* '''Contributions would depend on the size of the nation; larger nations would contribute more'''
* '''While supporting the grand project, it would be impossible to persuade their people to support other important causes'''
Highguard is not the only nation with reserves of materials, nor the only nation concerned with the Empire's Virtue. Every nation could contribute to the construction of a Holy City if they wished to, each could donate what they could spare to help. The bigger the nation, the more territories it contains, the more resources it could provide if urged to by the nation's assembly.

Any of the other nine nations could choose to pass a mandate asking their citizens to support the construction of the Holy City. The more nations that support the efforts, the greater the benefits.

{{Mandate|mandate=Consequences are the price of Ambition. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to urge every citizen to contribute what resources they can spare to support the creation of a new Holy City at Bastion. Let our Virtue echo through history for a thousand years.|assembly=Any national assembly}}

If a nation enacts this mandate then the citizens of that nation will find what white granite and funds they can spare and donate them to support the new commission. The effects will be small individually, but put together they could make a huge difference. Every territory outside Highguard that is affected by this mandate will donate 4 wains of white granite and 8 crowns to support the commission each season for the next year.

Like the Highborn, it would be impossible for a nation to support the creation of the new Holy City in this way without exhausting their capacity to support other important causes. As a result it would be impossible to use a mandate to urge a nation contributing to the Holy City to support another commission or similar project that needed help. Any mandate in the Imperial Synod that urged citizens to provide financial support to a different commission or cause would fail to affect the nation until the year is up. Any statement of principle in their national assembly that asked the nation for their support in this way would fail to produce a mandate.

'''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian''' has proposed an alternative mandate for the League National Assembly to consider.

{{Mandate|mandate=Pride conveyed by words alone is vain boasting; we must proclaim it by how we conduct every part of our lives. Other nations are contributing white granite and coin to the efforts to build the Grand Inspiration of the Way and we are being left behind! "Now Fransesca di Matos's competition is over, we must rise to this challenge from the rest of the Empire and win. We send {Named Priest} with 50 doses of liao to inspire League citizens to show the rest of the Empire how to build amazing things...and how to fund them, too.|assembly=League Assembly}}

If enacted this mandate would have the same effect as the original - though drawing on the Virtue of Pride rather than Ambition. The same amount of white granite and money would go towards the Grand Inspiration of the Way.

'''Vasilmir Radovanovna Esskivic''' has proposed an alternative mandate for the Varushka National Assembly to consider.

{{Mandate|mandate=Seek out the poison in your neighbour’s fields, lest your own crops be blighted. The Grand Inspiration of the way will be an incredible and Virtuous Beacon to innumerable Pilgrims. Varushkans can Vigilantly help protect it against malice, from outside or within. We send {Named Priest} with 50 doses of Liao to urge Varushkans to contribute our resources and expertise to pave the Grand Inspiration of the Way's roads with Varushkan Stone and line their walls with our wards. May malice find no welcome there.
|assembly=Varushkan Assembly}}

If enacted this mandate would have the same effect as the original. The same amount of white granite and money would go towards the Grand Inspiration of the Way.

'''Aspar''' of Urizen has asked the Urizen Assembly to consider the possibility of a more emphatic refusal of the request for help.

{{Mandate|mandate=Despise that which threatens what you watch over, whether by malice, lies, ''folly'' or ''carelessness''. We send {named priest} with 25 Liao to encourage all Urizen to look to their homes before pledging support to Bastion. The rebuilding of Zenith and the repatriation of Spiral must be our priority. Let Highguard build monuments to Virtue after the Empire proves worthy of them.|assembly=Urizen Assembly}}

If this mandate were enacted, it would prevent any aid going towards the holy city in Bastion. Furthermore no statements of principle calling on Urizen to support efforts outside of Zenith and Spiral would result in an opportunity for at least a year.

==Grand Opportunity==
* '''There is no specific time limit on this project or the mandates it involves'''
* '''This is a [[opportunity#Building Opportunities|building opportunity]] so many of the necessary details are set by the nature of that opportunity'''
This [[opportunity]] is open ended. The competition to design a suitable monument, and the Senate motion to build that monument, are not time limited. As long as the situation does not significantly change, they can be undertaken at any time. However, without the support of the competition - without a visionary design to serve as inspiration - a Senate motion to construct a great folly at Bastion will have significantly less impact. Likewise, if the Senate chooses to commission a more modest structure - a [[great work]] perhaps - they are free to do so but the special advantages that come from trying to create a holy city will ''not'' be applicable even if the mandates are passed.

The mandates are not time limited either; they can be performed at any time even before the Senate has commissioned the transformation of the city of Bastion.

Finally, bear in mind this is an [[opportunity#Building Opportunities|building opportunity]]. This project can only be attempted in the White City, the place where the Way has its roots. The opportunity cannot be transplanted to another location.

Recognition

2026-08-06T11:55:13Z

GuiltyConscience:

{{Synod Judgement Summary|Virtue Assembly, General Assembly|Greater Majority}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=Cardinal Pride.png|title=Paragons!|caption=Only the Imperial Synod has the authority to recognise [[paragons and exemplars]] of the Way.|align=left|width=450}}
==Overview==
[[Paragons and exemplars]] are inspirations - significant figures of virtue from across history who have embodied the [[The Way|virtues]] and demonstrated their worth. They serve a crucial role in providing both inspiration and guidance, as citizens are encouraged to emulate their achievements. Recognising an inspiration is thus a crucial role of the [[Synod]] that helps to define [[The Way]] in the most practical terms.

Only the Imperial Synod has the authority to officially recognise that a figure has met the [[signs of the paragon and exemplar]] and thus qualifies as a hero of the faith. To do so, the Synod must identify which single virtue the inspiration best exemplifies. There are some notable figures in Imperial history who have never been recognised simply because the Synod cannot agree which virtue should claim them.

The General [[Assembly]] may also use a judgement of recognition to confirm that new evidence has come to light that disputes the status of an exemplar or paragon. If this judgement of recognition passes, then the status of the exemplar or paragon is removed.

==Judgement==
A judgement of recognition must be raised and passed by the relevant virtue [[assembly]] with a greater majority. To be legally binding, the judgement must identify the nominee and explicitly state whether they are a paragon or exemplar and which [[signs of the paragon and exemplar]] the individual has met.

If a valid judgement of recognition is passed by the greater majority of a virtue assembly then it is automatically escalated to the General Assembly. The judgement is raised by the [[Tribune of the Synod]] in the name of the priest who brought the original judgement of recognition. This second judgement will run until 2pm on the final day of the summit, provided that gives time for sufficient [[judgement#scrutiny|scrutiny]], otherwise the deadline will be 2pm on the final day of the following summit.

To be successful, a judgement of recognition of an exemplar requires the lesser majority of the General Assembly to vote in favour. To recognise a paragon requires that the General Assembly pass the judgement with a greater majority. A judgement to recognise a paragon that passes the General Assembly with a lesser majority but fails to achieve a greater majority is considered to fail - it does not pass as an exemplar.

It is also possible for the Synod to use a judgement of recognition to formally recognise someone as a false paragon or exemplar; either of a specific false virtue or as someone whose influence and teachings are considered to be anathema to the Way. A judgement of recognition which recognises a false paragon or exemplar can only be raised in the General Assembly and in both cases requires a greater majority to pass. A judgement of recognition used to recognise someone as a false paragon or exemplar does not have the legal requirement to name the [[signs of the paragon and exemplar]] that the individual has met. If a Virtue Assembly wished to recognise someone as an exemplar or paragon who had previously been judged to be a false exemplar or paragon there would first need to be a judgement of recognition passed in the General Assembly explicitly reversing their judgement, which would again require a greater majority.
<div style="float: right;"><quote by="Marcher Proverb">If you eat apples from every orchard, you'll run for a week.</quote></div>

==Outcome==
If the judgement is successful then the individual is recognised is an exemplar or paragon of virtue. The approval of the Synod means that priests throughout the Empire may legally cite the life of the individual and recount their deeds as part of their work exhorting citizens to virtue. Without this judgement it would constitute an act of [[religious crime#blasphemy|blasphemy]] to promote them as an exemplar or paragon. If a judgement of recognition is used to recognise a false exemplar or paragon then the magistrates will take that into account when [[Sanction#Outcome|presenting a ruling]] where a judgement of condemnation has been raised.

If an individual receives the recognition of the Synod, then it is legal for an Imperial citizen to create a memorial to honour their life. If there is sufficient support to deserve a dose of true liao to devote to the memory of the exemplar or paragon - then it can be used to create a [[inspirational location|wondrous consecration]] that will ultimately draw pilgrims from all over the Empire, and beyond. If that happens, then the tale of the exemplar or paragon's deeds will be immortalized as they spread to the corners of the world and they will become [[Paragons_and_exemplars#Renown|renowned]].

The simplest tomb requires no great materials - but it is possible to [[commission]] a grand structure through the Senate if the figure is sufficiently popular that there is support for something more expensive. The '''Custodes Clavium''' are a Highborn chapter based in [[Bastion]], dedicated to recording the lives of exemplars and paragons as well as those who have sat on [[the Throne]]. If a citizen sends a Winged Messenger to ''Exarch Sarah of the Custodes Clavium at the Basilica of Seven Doors'' in [[Bastion]], informing her of the decision of the Synod, then she is likely to send a representative to speak with the priest who raised the judgement to learn more. If the Custodes are satisfied that the judgement is sound then they will offer to assist in the construction of a suitable church in the memory of the exemplar or paragon. They do not have white granite or weirwood to spare - but they do have many skilled architects and builders who can facilitate the construction of the sinecure in Bastion such that it does not need the support of the Imperial civil service (so it does not count as one of the [[Commission#New_Commissions|twelve commissions]] that the civil service can support each summit). If the priest is unable to convince the Custodes Clavium to help then they would need to convince the Senate to devote the resources to any commission they chose to undertake.

<ic>In the Winter of 377YE, the Senate amended the way in which Exemplars are recognised, in line with reforms proposed by Hywel Summercrow in a statement of principle put to the Synod on the Autumn of 377YE.</ic>

{{CaptionedImage|file=Dawn_Troubadour.jpg|align=right|width=250}}

{{Synod Further Reading}}

Construct Grand Inspiration of the Way

2026-08-06T11:51:27Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Overview */

[[Category:Senate Motion]][[Category:385YE Summer]][[Category:Grand Inspiration]]
__NOTOC__
<quote by="Proposed: Casinea, Seconded: Temeschwar">Commission the Grand Inspiration of the Way in Bastion. 1000 white granite, 250 thrones, 3 years.</quote>
==Overview==
* Constructs an [[edifice]] in [[Bastion]] as per the '''[[Blood_will_thicken#A_Question_of_Scale|Blood will thicken]]''' wind of fortune
* Passed
* This motion received support from citizens of the Marches through a [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_56|mandate]] enacted by '''Friar John of the Mourn''' during the Summer Solstice 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of the Brass Coast through a [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_71|mandate]] enacted by '''Sufyan i Zuhri i Erigo''' during the Summer Solstice 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of Highguard through a [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_125|mandate]] enacted by '''Eli of the Cenotaph''' during the Summer Solstice 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of Wintermark through a [[385YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_113|mandate]] enacted by '''Eldrid Vestardottir''' during the Autumn Equinox 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of Navarr through a [[385YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_134|mandate]] enacted by '''Fintan Nighthaven''' during the Autumn Equinox 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of the League through a [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_30|mandate]] enacted by '''Rafael Barossa d'Apulian''' during the Winter Solstice 385YE
* This motion received support from citizens of Dawn through a [[385YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_216|mandate]] enacted by '''Darian Numbers''' during the Winter Solstice 385YE
* This motion is receiving support from citizens of Highguard due to the decision of the Benefactors Council
* This motion was [[388YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Amend_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way|amended]] during the Spring Equinox 388YE to incorporate seven great bells into the original design, based on [[Lay_the_foundations#Let_the_Bells_Ring_Out|designs]] presented as a result of the Highborn Assembly's highest calling
* This motion was amended twice during the Summer Solstice 388YE; first to [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Amend_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way_I|incorporate]] gardens for the [[Voice of Virtue|Voices of Virtue]], and second to [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Amend_Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way_II|incorporate]] a choristers balcony. Both of these amendments were based on [[A_lasting_commitment|designs]] presented as a result of the Highborn Assembly's highest calling

==Date==
* Summer 385YE
==Cost==
* Costs as per the wind of fortune
* 951 wains of white granite
* 49 wains of mithril
* 2230 crowns in labour costs
* Three years to construct

==Progress==
{{CommissionProgress|Grand_Inspiration_of_the_Way}}
==Outcome==
* Once completed, this edifice will ensure that the Empire is recognised as the undisputed source of spiritual guidance for all followers of the Way in the known world
* Citizens of Highguard will provide 12 wains of white granite and 36 crowns every season until it is completed or until the Benefactors Council direct the funds elsewhere
* Nations can no longer [[Pride_and_paragons#The_Grand_Inspiration|commit themselves to supporting the project]].
* Citizens of the Marches provided 16 wains of white granite and 32 crowns every season until the start of the Summer Solstice 386YE
* Citizens of the Brass Coast provided 12 wains of white granite and 24 crowns every season until the start of the Summer Solstice 386YE (this amount was reduced to 8 wains of white granite and 16 crowns as the Brass Coast did not control Madruga)
* Citizens of Wintermark provided 12 wains of white granite and 24 crowns every season until the start of the Autumn Equinox 386YE
* Citizens of Navarr provided 12 wains of white granite and 24 crowns every season until the start of the Autumn Equinox 386YE (this amount was reduced to 8 wains of white granite and 16 crowns as Navarr did not control Therunin)
* Citizens of the League provided 20 wains of white granite and 40 crowns every season until the start of the Winter Solstice 386YE
* Citizens of Dawn provided 16 wains of white granite and 32 crowns every season until the start of the Winter Solstice 386YE

==Notes==
Work to actually build the grand inspiration could not begin until a suitably inspiring design was chosen to serve as the basis of the construction. This was achieved at the Summer Solstice 385YE, and work actually constructing the temple-city began in the following months.

Upwold

2026-08-06T11:11:28Z

GuiltyConscience: /* OOC Notes */

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofUpwold.png|caption=Silver birch and beggarwood are the foundation of Upwold's wealth.|title=Regions of Upwold|align=left|width=500}}
==The Silver Chase==
Upwold is where the Marchers first established themselves when they walked away from [[Dawn]]. The scattered [[orc|orcs]] that dwelt here were no match for their determination to make a home for themselves; those that fled west or south would find themselves followed in short order as the Marchers pushed into Mitwold and Bregasland. Those that fled north found death at the hands of the [[Wintermark]].

Some of the worst fighting of the short-lived [[Marches_history#Joining_the-Empire|Marcher civil war]] took place in western Upwold. One of the few pitched battles between the [[Marcher household|households]] who supported the [[First Empress]] and those households who opposed the formation of the Empire took place here at Hepton Bridge. Widely regarded as the bloodiest conflict of the civil war, the scrubby heathland of the battlefield is largely given a wide berth except by occasional pilgrims of [[Loyalty]] who come here to muse on the spiritual significance of the ancient conflict that set cousins against one another.

Today, Upwold is a wealthy territory in a wealthy nation - though unlike Mitwold a significant amount of its wealth comes from industries other than farming. While there are of course many [[farm|farms]] in Upwold, the quick-growing silver birch woods on the eastern borders are the source of a great deal of income. Charcoal-burners live there, turning wood into easily transportable fuel for smith and hearth alike - the charcoal of Upwold provides pure fuel for the cities of [[the League]] and the forges of [[Wintermark]] alike. The birch bark is used in the tanning industry, to cure the hides of the cattle that graze on the river pastures.

Upwold has always felt a certain rivalry with Mitwold to the west. There is no argument that the farms of Upwold tend not to be as fertile as those of their neighbours; the soil tends to be quite acidic. In part, this has led to a more diverse economy - while the farm is the centre of Marcher life here as elsewhere, there are many who make their living from trees rather than crops, which occasionally attracts comment from the more agriculturally minded Mitwolders.

The people who live up here have closer links to the Navarr than many in the Marches, and more need for Beaters than most. Through the dark heart of those woods are paths no Marcher treads. From these secret ways come the painted [[Feni]] - uncivilised raiders, thieves, and rustlers who raid and steal from isolated settlements. To the north-west, cousins to these forests decay into the marshes that form the southern border of [[Wintermark_Territories|Kallavesa]] in [[Wintermark]].

Finally, Upwold is one of the few areas where anything other than beer is drunk. For centuries, the brewers of Upwold have made a drink from the sap of the birch trees that warms their hearts in the cold winter nights but brings strange dreams.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Peter Lambrook.jpg||caption=While the farm is the centre of Marcher life, many make their living in other ways.|align=right|width=500}}</div>
==Recent History==
Over the last thirty years there have been several attempts by the Jotun to attack across the border from the Mournwold. These campaigns were primarily aimed at claiming the Sutton Stone Quarries - the Jotun apparently have a great desire for white granite to help build and maintain their [[fortifications]]. The last such attack in 372YE saw significant losses on both sides, and several new Jotun burial mounds along the southern borders.

The [[March on their belly|disastrous failure of the Autumn harvest]] in 379YE was followed by a particularly [[March on their belly#Resolution|harsh winter]] during which all the farmers of the Marches suffered significant losses in order to keep the Imperial armies marching. Then the Spring 380YE planting was hit with torrential rains and a vicious blight that devoured many of the seeds before they could be put in the ground. While the rest of the Empire was enjoying a burst of [[The prime colour of the world|vitality and fertility]], the farms of Bregasland, Upwold, and Mitwold were once again labouring under the yoke of a vicious magical [[curse]] that ruined the crops, sapped the life from the beasts in the fields, and spread sickness and hunger wherever it touched.

The plan to construct the ''Imperial Breadbasket'' may have begun in the markets of [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]], but it received immediate support from [[market town|market towns]] across the Marches. The alders of [[#Stockland|Stockland]] in particular were quick to put their hands in their pockets - not as an act of charity, but as recognition of the fact that when the farmers prosper, everyone in the Marches prospers. Shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE, work was completed on a network of granaries and storehouses across Upwold as part of the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#Granaries and Storehouses - the Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] [[great work]]. In addition to its work in securing the future of the Marches, this has helped to improve relations between the yeomanry and the residents of the market towns - reinforcing that even though they do not till the soil, they are still Marchers.

Shortly before the Winter Solstice 381YE, the [[Lorenzo%27s_Legacy#Blood_Red_Roads|Blood Red Roads]] were completed, providing merchants and traders easy access to Marcher merchandise and allowing the yeomen of Upwold to travel much more easily to some of the wealthiest cities across the Empire. For more than half a decade the roads provided a major boon to the [[farm|farms]] and [[business|businesses]] in the territory. In the Winter of 386YE, however, the Imperial Senate determined to [[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Levy_Tolls_on_Blood_Red_Roads|levy tolls]] on traffic using the road, meaning they no longer increase the income of individual citizens but provide a significant boost to the Imperial Treasury, in part to pay for the war against the [[vallorn]].

==Points of Interest==
=== Stockland ===
Dominating the fertile farmlands of [[#Stock March|Stock March]], Stockland is a sprawling town known for its sheep and cattle markets. Almost all the [[Marcher_household|households]] of western Upwold take their stock here to trade, and there is a market most weekends through Spring, Summer and Autumn. In addition to its cattle and livestock markets. It is known for its raucous taverns - successful drovers and herders celebrate the sale of their livestock with a hard night's drinking, while the less successful drown their sorrows before heading home. The breweries of Stockland produce ale and beer that is exported around the Marches and across the Empire - but while it is popular it is not particularly fine. Rather, the distinctive peaty taste of the brews is immediately recognisable to anyone who has spent time in Stockland, and easily brings a lump to the throat of the homesick Marcher. The brewers of Stockland take pride in their straightforward, down-to-earth product, and are quick to scorn anyone who expresses a preference for more refined beverages.

Hepton Bridge - the site of the only major pitched battle of the Marcher civil war - crosses the Meade near Stockland. On the anniversary of the battle, monks from the Stockwater Monastery make a pilgrimage to the site and the abbot delivers a sermon from the bridge itself, generally focusing on the importance of [[Loyalty]] and [[Pride]]. The monks, and the many visitors, then spend the night camped around the bridge, alert for signs of any unquiet ghosts. There have been no actual reports of hauntings in over fifty years, but the tradition endures.

===The Eastern Guard===
Great crenelated walls and brooding towers look down from Eastern Guard onto the northern forest of [[Miaren]]. Built early in the history of the Marches in [[#Birchland|Birchland]], the garrison was initially charged both with remaining vigilant against Dawnish aggression and with maintaining readiness for attacks from the vallornspawn of the deep woods. Since Miaren was cleansed in the early days of the Empire, and since the people of Dawn are now an allied nation, the castle has become more open - it is a popular stopping place for merchants travelling through the central Empire. Still, the dour Marchers ensure it maintains battle readiness at all times, for one never knows when an attack may come from an unexpected direction.

During the [[Rocks and gravel|great collapse]] of Spring 381YE, most of the garrison of Eastern Guard was evacuated. Despite serious concerns, the sinkhole stopped spreading before swallowing the old castle whole, although the lip of the great dismal hole is little more than five-hundred yards from the north-eastern tower. Now, Eastern Guard has a new job - keeping an eye on the [[trogoni]] that lurk in the depth of [[Upwold#Lorzeno.27s_Deep_Pockets_.28the_Bloody_Great_Hole.29|Lorenzo's Deep Pockets]].

In Summer 387YE, the Imperial Senate chose to [[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Decommission_the_Eastern_Guard|decommission the Eastern Guard]], "''letting the garrison stand down until it's needed again or we can find another use for the site''". This was later [[387YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Abrogate_Decommission_of_Eastern_Guard|abrogated]] during the Winter Solstice 387YE, and the garrison quickly returned to their work.

===The Woldstone===
Standing in central [[#Ashbrook|Ashbrook]], the Woldstone is very old. It is said to be the first menhir planted by [[landskeeper|landskeepers]] when the Marchers claimed Upwold for their own. A little over eight feet tall, it is a rough white stone pitted and weathered by centuries of wind and rain.

The stone marks the centre of a potent Autumn [[regio]] that has in the past been used to lay powerful [[enchantment|enchantments]] over the whole of Upwold. The regio is tied to the realm of the [[eternal]] [[Ephisis]], and watched over by one of her more potent heralds, ''Nunn o' the Wold''. According to stories, Nunn appears as a prosperous Marcher steward or alder, and has a keen interest in the interplay between those who raise crops and the traders who buy and sell them. According to local stories, at one time the herald would appear every solstice and equinox to negotiate minor deals with brave yeomen, but it has been over a century since he was last encountered.

Since early 387YE, the [[Stone_Smith#Stone_Smith's_Workshop|Stone Smith's Workshop]] has stood near the Woldstone, serving as a place for the [[smith|smiths]] of the Marches to congregate, discuss their less mundane business, and sometimes commune with the [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[Realms#Autumn|Autumn realm]].

===Mumford===
In western [[#Stock March|Stock March]] is the sleepy village of Mumford - right on the border with Upwold. Standing on the northern banks of the Meade, it marks a shallow spot in the river used for centuries by travellers and shepherds alike. North of the village, on a low and rolling rise, stands a ring of seven monoliths known as ''the Mummers''. Each of the stones has a name; the six that make up the rough ring are called the [[The Captain|Yeoman]], the [[The Doctor|Abbot]], the [[The Witch|Weaver]], the [[The Prince|Steward]], the [[The Bishop|Farmer]], and the [[The Mountebank|Alder]]. The seventh stone stands a short distance outside the ring proper, and is called ''the Pipe'' - depending on who one asks it represents either the [[Dramaturgy#The_Fool|fool]] or the [[Dramaturgy#The_Beast|beast]]. The stones mark a strong [[regio]] tied to the [[Night magic|night]] realm, and the nature of the Piper is said to be tied to whichever [[eternal]] serves as the patron of the regio at any given time - [[Janon]] or [[Sadogua]].

Every Spring, [[The_Marches_magical_traditions#Mummers|mummers]] and peddlers from across the Marches come here for the Mumford Fair, a celebration of music, dancing, open-ear theatrics, heavy drinking, and the unofficial Mummers Trial in which bands of entertainers compete for ... well it is never entirely clear for what. The entertainers put on their performances, and at the end of the weekend long celebration one or another of their number is carried up to the standing stones and crowned with a wreath of daisies before being dumped unceremoniously into a vat of beer. Traditionally, the "Earl of Mumford" is not allowed to get out of the vat until it is empty, and the fair closes with a night of serious debauchery and celebration as the guests help the Earl drink all the beer. A bottle of beer from the Mumford Fair vat will often fetch a surprisingly high price - occasionally the alcohol is imbued with vestiges of Night magic and gains unpredictable qualities.

===The Bloody Great Hole===
Just over a month after the Spring Equinox 381YE a large section of north-western [[Miaren#Goldglades|Goldglades]] in [[Miaren]] [[Rocks and gravel|collapsed with an almighty roar]] that was heard across most of [[#Birchland|Birchland]]. After the initial collapse, the hole began to spread. Warnings by the Navarr [[Navarr_magical_traditions#Vates|vates]] reached an already-worried Birchland not a moment too soon - over the next month, chaos reigned. [[Upwold#The_Eastern_Guard|Eastern Guard]] was evacuated of all save a bare bones garrison too stubborn to abandon their post, and for several weeks there was real concern that this old fortress might be a casualty of the ongoing destruction.

Where Upwold once bordered [[Temeschwar]], there is now a massive [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole sinkhole]. Estimated to be seven hundred feet deep, with a lake at the bottom that may well be bottomless. The cliff walls are nearly vertical, and still prone to collapse in some places, but there are also signs of caves and tunnels opening out in several places. Initial explorers have excitedly reported what look to be ancient mine workings - some reaching back to the time of the Terunael, and some reaching back even further. The full extent of the network of caverns here has yet to be determined. More worryingly, some of the early daredevils who have made a preliminary investigation of some of the more accessible caves and tunnels have failed to return - and all those who have made it back in one piece have described encounters with particularly angry [[trogoni]] - creatures rarely encountered outside of the mountains of [[Urizen]], and the northern peaks of [[Wintermark]] and [[Varushka]].

The sinkhole was officially named "[[Delver_of_the_Depths#Lorenzo.27s_Deep_Pockets|Lorzeno's Deep Pockets]]" by Lorenzo Macelliao von Temeschwar, but that has not prevented many of the residents of Birchland referring to it as ''the Bloody Great Hole'' (perhaps a reference to Lorenzo's membership of the Bloody Butchers guild, perhaps simply a result of Marchers choosing to call a spade a spade). Some yeomen, with a grim gallows humour, prefer to call the hole ''Downwold'' in reference to the not insignificant amount of Upwold soil that is now at the bottom of it. Regardless of what it is called, the [[The_Marches_military_concerns#Beaters|beaters]] of northern Upwold keep a close eye on the hole - and the dangerous trogoni that lurk in its depths.

===[[Sutton Stone Quarries]]===
The Sutton Stone Quarries are a Bourse resource located on [[#The Heath|the Heath]]. Custodianship of the Quarries is an [[Imperial Title]] that brings with it a Seat on the [[Bourse]]. It produces 23 Imperial wains of white granite every season. Control is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction during the Summer Solstice.
===Well of Shadows===
At some point following the [[Wassail]] of 386YE, which was [[Patterns_of_fairytales#A Grand Wassail|attended]] by numerous [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] of the [[eternal]] [[Sadogua]], a door appeared in [[#Tower March|Tower March]] about a day's lazy hike east of King's Stoke. A meandering path, little more than a hunting trail, that nobody entirely remembers being there now connects the Stoke to the door, which is set into the bole of a massive ancient oak tree. The door is round, green, and resists all efforts to open it up to and including charging it headlong with a log. The ''Brother of Wizards'' mentions that this is the entry to the ''[[College_of_magic|Well of Shadows]]'' - a place of magical learning that is part of his domain. As a mark of the welcome he has received from them and from their people, he chose to move the door to Upwold. The first group to be granted access to the well were the [[landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the Marches and if anyone knows more it is probably them.
{{Anchor|Moonwater Hall}}

===Moonwater Hall (ruins)===
Built near King's Stoke in [[#Tower March|Tower March]], Moonwater Hall was a [[Faraden]] enclave that consisted of several dozen buildings including inns, homes, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, a shrine, and a number of warehouses, as well as a large public pasture for use by oxen. It was [[Construct_trade_hub_in_Upwold|commissioned]] in Summer 381YE, and work was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice. Half of the materials were provided by Henry Ward on behalf of the Empire, with the other half being supplied by Lady Saretta of the Red Moon on behalf of a consortium of Faraden merchant families. Moonwater Hall provided benefits to the [[farm|farms]] and [[business|businesses]] of Upwold as a [[great work]]. In Spring 384YE, however, the Senate voted to [[abrogate Moonwater Hall]] and the trade hub was decommissioned.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Yeoman and Log.jpg |width=300|align=right|caption=The Marchers of [[#Birchland|Birchland]] and [[#Tower March|Tower March]] farm the trees with the same stubborn focus other Marchers farm grain or pigs.}}</div>

==Regions==
===Ashbrook===
Named for the river Ash which feeds into the Meade, the region of Ashbrook is scattered with thriving communities such as '''Ashill''' - said to be perpetually covered in soot from the charcoal burning that provides its main industry. North of Ashill, near the [[Hahnmark]] border, stands the prosperous [[market town]] of '''Sweetroot'''. This small settlement is a major centre for the cultivation of the liquorice plant. While small, Sweetroot has become wealthy through careful exploitation of the leafy plant and its delicious roots. Popular exports include sweetroot cake (a small, round confection that is popular almost everywhere), and sweetwater (liquorice-infused water, used to treat a number of digestive system complaints).

One of the oldest menhirs in the Marches - [[#The Woldstone|the Woldstone]] - is also located here. Believed to be the first stone raised by the [[landskeeper|landskeepers]], it watches over the farms and market towns of Ashbrook. Not far from the Woldstone is the old oak wood of '''Walksend'''. Some of the trees here are over five hundred years old, but none have ever been felled. Local stories claim that the wood marks the spot where the first Marchers ended the March out of [[Dawn]]. According to this quaint story, on emerging from the woods of [[#Birchland|Birchland]], the Marchers saw the rolling plains of Upwold laid out before them and knew they had reached their new home. They thrust their walking staves into the ground here to signify that they were done with marching, and the staves miraculously put forth roots, branches, and leaves and became the trees that form the forest today. Visitors claim that the experience of walking among the great oaks is distinctly restful. The monks nearby '''Oakwood [[Monastery|monastery]]''', known for their excellent [[Surgical skills#physicks|physicks]], take advantage of this reputation to speed the convalescence of their patients.

Ashbrook is also the site of [[Guardian_of_the_Prosperity_of_Afal#Afal-on-Ash|Afal on Ash]], and a certain stand of gentle silver beehive-hung trees overseen by the [[Guardian of the Prosperity of Afal]].

===Birchland===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The thick birch woods of Birchland are a source of valuable timber. There are also extensive stands of beggarwood in Birchland, producing excellent quality [[Materials#Beggar's Lye|Beggar's Lye]], which supports a thriving tanning and leatherworking industry. The fortress of [[#The Eastern Guard|Eastern Guard]] stands here, still watching the forest of [[Miaren]] for any sign of invasion by Dawnish [[Noble_house|nobles]]. Scattered here and there are old battlegrounds where Dawn and the Marches clashed in pre-Imperial times. Locals give these areas a wide berth and tell gloomy stories about the ghosts that haunt them.

Just north of the bend in the road that runs between lies [[Steward_of_Good_Leaf_Gardens#Good_Leaf_Gardens|Good Leaf Gardens]] - a wayhouse that regularly receives donations of [[herbs]] from Navarr traders who pass through the area. The herbs are given by Navarr in thanks for the continuing aid of the Marchers in the fight against the [[vallorn]], and are distributed by the [[Steward of Good Leaf Gardens]] to those who need them.

In Spring 381YE, parts of north-eastern Birchland were swallowed up in the [[Rocks and gravel|great collapse]] that created the sinkhole dubbed "''the Bloody Great Hole''" by locals and more properly referred to as [[#Upwold#Lorzeno.27s_Deep_Pockets_.28the_Bloody_Great_Hole.29|Lorenzo's Deep Pockets]].

===The Heath===
There are few settlements on the Heath's rolling grasslands - the soil is not exceptionally fertile and the farms here tend to focus on raising goats and sheep rather than growing crops. The most significant location here is probably the [[#Sutton Stone Quarries|Sutton Stone Quarries]], although historians would argue that the village of '''Redston''' would give it a run for its money. The village is the birthplace of the Marcher hero [[Life of Tom Drake|Tom Drake]], who helped create the [[Military Council]], was the first [[general]] of the [[The_Marches_military_concerns#The_Drakes|Drakes]], and ultimately fell in battle leading the Imperial armies against [[Alderei the Fair]]. Over the centuries, ''Tom's Orchard'' - the apple tree woods where the general was buried - has become something of a place of pilgrimage for Marcher generals and yeomen facing difficult challenges. The Redstons - the [[Marcher_household|household]] that still owns the farms around the village - have resisted any attempt to create a more prestigious memorial to the dead general.

Every month, Brock Heath market is held on the lands of [[Marcher_household|House]] Brockheath, and regularly attracts [[Navarr]] traders from [[Miaren]]. While it is no longer as prestigious as it once was, it has a [[Steward_of_Brock%27s_Heath|storied history]] and is generally believed to be one of the first regular markets that welcomed and encouraged trade with the Navarr in pre-Imperial times.

A significant number of the farms here belong to by grim-faced refugees from the [[Mournwold]]. During the occupation, these emigrants kept a close eye on the border to the south; they saw it as a solemn duty to rally the rest of Upwold against any sign of Jotun aggression from their old homelands. Now that the Mournwold has been liberated, there is a great deal of discussion between the families as to whether they should seek to reclaim their old farmland. While their parents want to return south, the younger generation have never lived anywhere else and consider themselves Upwolders through-and-through.

===Stock March===
The green farmlands of Stock March are dominated by the presence of [[#Stockland|Stockland]], which makes the most of its advantageous position at the junction of major roads linking [[Mitwold]], [[Hahnmark]], and [[Tassato]].

Stock March is the richest region in Upwold, and one of the most prosperous in the Marches. The sprawling '''Applewood''' grows here known for the fine, fat apples that bear its name. The Applewood shares its name with a village on the road near the border to the Moot, famous both for the Applewood Arms and for the fine-quality ciders it has produced since the earliest days of the Marches.

The village of '''[[#Mumford|Mumford]]''' stands on the western border of Stock March, famous for its Spring fair and the magical monoliths that watch over it.

===Tower March===
*'''Quality:''' Forest
The dense woods of Tower March have been cut back around the village of '''King's Stoke''', but remain thick and vital in the rest of the region. A pre-Imperial tower stands here, just east of the village, that is said to mark the place where the rebels held back the King of [[Dawn]] following the [[the Marches history|march of secession]]. Most Upwold families - and indeed many families from other parts of the Marches - claim a connection to the battle at King's Stoke. That said, if every family who claims an ancestor fought there is right, it must have been an easy victory. King's Stoke is also the site of [[#Moonwater Hall|Moonwater Hall]], a [[Faraden]] trading enclave that supports merchants from that western nation who wish to purchase fine quality Marcher food and drink.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Henry Birchsmith.jpg|caption='''Henry Birchsmith''', Senator for Upwold|align=left|width=500}}</div>
West of King's Stoke is '''Borsdell Hall''', perhaps the closest the Marches gets to a centre of learning. The original hall belonged to the well-respected Brigit of Dourfen, the first [[grandmaster]] of the [[Rod and Shield]] [[Conclave order|order]] of the [[Conclave]]. Raised in [[Bregasland]], the legendary [[landskeeper]] moved to Tower March in the early years before the formation of the Empire and built the hall "''the better to keep an eye on the rest of the world.''" Her interest in "the wider world" brought news of the First Empress' meeting at Anvil to the stewards of the Marches, and many historians ascribe her a pivotal role in the Cousins War that followed that fateful congress. Modern landskeepers will send an apprentice who shows a talent for [[Magical_skills#Battle_Mage|battle magic]] to spend a season or two studying at Borsdell, learning techniques refined by Brigit and passed on to the martially-minded magicians who followed her.

[[Farm|Farmland]] is at a premium in Tower March, and the region is better known for its woodcutters and [[forest|foresters]]. In addition to the ever-present beggarwood, Tower March is the main source of [[Materials#Dragonbone|dragonbone]] in the Marches. In recent years the demand for Tower March amber has subsided in the face of extensive imports from [[Miaren]] and through [[Tassato]], but there are still several old and stubborn households whose fortunes are traditionally tied to the valuable material. Some of the more ambitious stewards of Tower March are said to favour a wholesale clearance of the woods, both to take advantage of the voracious Imperial demand for building materials and to allow for new farms - so far they have faced a great deal of resistance from those whose livelihood is tied to the woodlands. Most are pessimistic however; political power in the Marches does not lie in the hands of woodcutters and foresters, after all.

{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Upwold|Territory=Upwold|Season=Autumn}}

==OOC Notes==
* All the regions of Upwold are in the hands of the Marches (and by extension the Empire) making it a staunchly Imperial territory.
* The castle of [[#The Eastern Guard|Eastern Guard]] is a rank one [[fortification]].
* [[Farm|Farms]] in the territory benefit from the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] and produce an extra 36 rings each season.
* The presence of [[Delver_of_the_Depths#Lorenzo.27s_Deep_Pockets|Lorenzo's Deep Pockets]] means that it is not possible for an [[Army|Imperial army]] to [[Army_orders#Movement|move]] from Upwold to Temeschwar directly. They will instead need to pass through either Miaren or Hahnmark.
[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]

Mitwold

2026-08-06T11:11:03Z

GuiltyConscience: /* OOC Notes */

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMitwold.png|caption=The households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry.|title=Regions of Mitwold|align=left|width=500}}
==The Pride of the Marches==
Mitwold is arguably the richest of the Marcher territories. There's gold in the soil of Mitwold - the gold of rich harvests of fruit and grain. It has a substantial coast, scattered with small fishing villages and the occasional lonely watchtower. As one moves further inland, the rocky coast gives way to fertile chalk-soiled downs, with rich game-filled woodland, large [[farm|farms]], and prosperous [[market town|market towns]] beyond. The largest settlement in Mitwold - indeed in the Marches - is the "town" of [[#Meade|Meade]], standing proudly at the mouth of the river that shares its name. More a small city than a town, Meade is in some ways the beating heart of the Marches.

When the other nations imagine the Marches, it is usually Mitwold they bring to mind - acres upon acres of well-tended fields and orchards, laid out like a grand patchwork blanket, scattered with villages connected by roads and dirt tracks. Here and there a lonely menhir watches over the land around it, often marking a point of historical interest, or serving as a meeting place for the [[landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the adjoining area.

This is also the territory where many of the best known [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Sports_and_Games|ball games]] are played, and it is a regular occurrence for some local dispute to be settled over a savage game of rugby, foot-the-ball, or rounders. Some of the traditional inter-village or inter-household games go back centuries, having become regular fixtures long before the foundation of the Empire. Many have their own traditions - the people of Parkestown and Harwich in the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] compete annually to determine the control of a prime stretch of grazing land between their two villages, for example,

More than anywhere else in the Marches, the [[Marcher household|households]] of Mitwold are engaged in feuding and bitter rivalry. The closer two households are to one another, the more likely it is that they are engaged in a long-running feud. Often the original cause of the feud is lost to history, having become a self-perpetuating state of affairs as each slight delivered by a rival becomes justification for the retaliation that follows. These feuds rarely lead to bloodshed - it is a rivalry of skinned knuckles not bloodied knives.

==Recent History==
Mitwold's history has been comparatively peaceful. Bregasland and Mournwold provide a buffer, protecting it from the martial ambitions of the [[Jotun]]. That is not to say it has been without incident; several times in pre-Imperial history the people of the Marches were at war with the people of [[Wintermark]]. Lonely menhirs and stands of ancient trees along the northern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]] and [[#Meade March|Meade March]] mark ancient, largely-forgotten battlegrounds. From time to time, stories circulate of unquiet spirits around some of the barrow mounds - bitter Wintermark warriors interred in Marcher soil.

For the most part though, Mitwold has enjoyed the benefits of being a relatively safe place to live, secure in its prosperity - or as sure as any agricultural territory reliant on good harvests can be.

The [[March on their belly|disastrous failure of the Autumn harvest]] in 379YE was followed by a particularly [[March on their belly#Resolution|harsh winter]] during which all the farmers of the Marches suffered significant losses in order to keep the Imperial armies marching. Then the Spring 380YE planting was hit with torrential rains and a vicious blight that devoured many of the seeds before they can be put in the ground. While the rest of the Empire was enjoying a burst of [[The prime colour of the world|vitality and fertility]], the farms of Bregasland, Upwold, and Mitwold were once again labouring under the yoke of a vicious magical [[curse]] that ruined the crops, sapped the life from the beasts in the fields, and spread sickness and hunger wherever it touched.

The plan to construct the ''Imperial Breadbasket'' began in the markets of [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]] and received immediate support from [[market town|market towns]] across the Marches. Led by the people of Meade, the alders put their hands in their pockets - not as an act of charity, but as recognition of the fact the Marches prosper when the farmers prosper. It was an investment for the future, as well as an effort to "darn the rip" between the folk of the market towns, and the rest of the Marches. As a result, shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE, work was completed on a network of granaries and storehouses across Mitwold as part of the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#Granaries and Storehouses - the Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] [[great work]]. In addition to its work in securing the future of the Marches, this has helped to improve relations between the yeomanry and the residents of the market towns - reinforcing that even though they do not till the soil, they are still Marchers.

Shortly before the Autumn Equinox 380YE, an earth tremor struck Mitwold, its epicentre near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]]. At first, the effects seemed minor - a little damage to some of the buildings in Wayford - but shortly after creatures similar to [[ogre|ogres]] began to appear in the area. Investigations by Marcher heroes discovered that the cause of the raids - if not the earth tremor itself - was an unnatural creature, buried deep beneath the earth. "Bloody Jack" appeared to be some sort of horrible troll creature, no doubt the source of the local legends of Jack-in-Chains. The entity lay at the bottom of an old stone-choked well, bound with magical chains - chains that had been damaged in the earth tremor and were close to breaking completely. The creature remained a threat to Mitwold until the Summer Solstice 381YE. With the [[Under_the_red_sky#Tharim|aid of the Winter Archmage]], several brave yeofolk made a bargain with the sinister [[eternal]] [[Tharim]], allowing the subterranean beast to once again be bound tightly. Several foolish youths tried to gain access to the troll-creature's tomb in search of treasure, but such expeditions were decisively curtailed by the placement of the Pale Chain, a white granite stone that now blocks the entrance to the well.

The business with Bloody Jack also brought to light stories of the Marcher blacksmiths - legendary figures who combined a practical appreciation for metalwork with a calling for negotiating with eternals. These capable individuals disappeared from the Marches as the result of a deal with the Autumn eternal [[Estavus]], and so long ago they were largely forgotten. Several Marcher scholars [[Bregasland and the smiths#The Marcher Smiths|looked into the situation]], and worked to secure the return or release of this uniquely Marcher tradition - a possibility that was [[Smith|recently realised]].

==Points of Interest==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Marcher Finery.jpg|caption=Bridget Talbot served as Senator for Mitwold in the difficult years after the death of [[Empress Britta]].|align=right|width=300}}</div>
=== Meade ===
The largest settlement in the Marches is the city (technically a [[market town]]; it received its charter from [[Empress Mariika]] in 225YE) of Meade in [[#Meade March|Meade March]]. Crowded around the mouth of the eponymous river on the shores of Westmere, Meade is not only the spiritual and administrative heart for the nation, it is also a port whose ships deal in fishing, trade with foreign nations and sea defence against the barbarians through Westmere and the cold salt waters of the Gullet.

Meade is where yeomen from across the Marches come to spend hard-earned coin, and often plays host to foreign visitors from other nations. The lavish week-long Harvest’s End Festival takes place in Meade every autumn, and sees the city fill with folk from all across the Empire. Still, Meade is not without its problems. Some yeomen look askance at the citizens, questioning how they can be ''proper'' Marchers given they live in a town rather than on a farm. To many of their critics, they are merchants, not true yeomen. They point to the scandal during the reign of [[Empress Giselle]] when several alders were implicated in a plot to secede from the Marches - a plot that never had much popular support but whose existence alone was enough to rekindle rumours that the folk of Meade are "not proper." At the same time, the alders of Meade know that their settlement is not even half the size of the great cities of [[the League]], and this can lead to efforts to try and compete with the [[The_League_leadership|merchant princes]] of [[Tassato]] and [[Temeschwar]] with predictably disappointing consequences.

Still, regardless of the past and the attitude of some suspicious yeomen, the people of Meade are Marchers through-and-through. They are practical, stubborn people who hold fiercely to the [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs|traditions]] of the Marches. As their recent involvement in the formation of the Imperial Breadbasket demonstrates, when push comes to shove they look out for their own people - the people of the Marches.

In the wake of the death of [[Empress Britta]] in 376YE, semi-organised groups of bandits began to prey on traders travelling by land from Meade. By [[Town defences|order]] of the [[Senate]], in early 377YE a series of watchtowers and earthworks were constructed around Meade to help address this problem. The works were overseen by Bridget Eastville née Talbot (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. While the defences are not sufficient to qualify Meade as a true [[fortifications|fortification]], they have already helped reduce brigandry throughout the territory.

The [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] has a small office in Meade, although most title holders spend little time there (apart from overseeing the security of the grand market on the third weekend of each month). The Bailiff is an [[Imperial title]] appointed each Winter Solstice by the farmers of the Marches.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Forte Fidelis.jpg||caption=Built by Richard Tunstall to guard Mitwold from Jotun aggression.|align=right|width=350}}
===Forte Fidelis===
In 377YE '''Richard Tunstall''', as the [[Imperial Master of Works]], approved the creation of Forte Fidelis in Golden Downs. It was one of only two castles approved by the Master before the Senate [[Amend_powers_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works|removed their ability to do so]]. Construction was funded partly by the Master's stipend (before it was removed by the Senate), and partly by money raised and donated by the Marchers themselves. Work on the fortification was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 378YE.

The fortification was completed while the [[Accept_Jotun_ceasefire|Jotun ceasefire]] was still in place as a counter to Mitwold's perceived vulnerability to attack from the Mournwold, once hostilities inevitably resumed. Surrounded on all sides by a deep moat, accessible only by a relatively narrow bridge. the castle has yet to see combat. It takes its name from the [[Languages#Latin|Old Asavean]] motto of the Talbot household - "forte et fidelis." Following his retirement from Imperial politics, Richard Tunstall still serves as the castellan, ensuring that the castle is prepared for any potential invasion of Mitwold.

=== Hay ===
“The golden fields of Hay” appear in many a Marcher song. Hay is quintessential Marches, a small rural town set amongst rolling fields. Following the invasion of the Mournwold, the folk of Hay were been deeply concerned about the threat of further orc aggression. Several locals have formed themselves into the Hay Irregulars, an unofficial force dedicated to helping turn back the barbarians should they attempt a concerted raid. The Irregulars served with some distinction fighting off small bands of raiding Jotun, before the Mournwold was finally liberated in Autumn 381YE.

Hay is rightly famous for its fields of wheat, and for its bakeries. Many of the farmers of the [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] bring their grain to market here, where a significant portion of it is used to make flour and bread products including the famous "Hay Huffer" - a crusty triangular bread roll with a thick, doughy texture designed to fill the bellies of labourers across Mitwold and beyond.

=== Wayford ===
A large market town at the confluence of the upper tributaries of the Meade. A layer of gritstone in between the chalk of the wolds means the river is wide and shallow, allowing livestock from the hills to cross, or embark on riverboats to Meade itself. Built along the southern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]], it is a bustling settlement known for its travellers' inns and for its monthly cattle and sheep markets. Merchants visiting Meade pass through Wayford, as do Marcher traders exporting food and drink to the wider Empire. The town is quite cosmopolitan - there is a large transitory population of [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]], [[the League|League]] citizens, and [[Navarr]] coming to Wayford to travel.

All this prosperous trade attracts its fair share of trouble, and the [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] is regularly called upon to deal with bandits and brigands preying on trade along the roads that pass through Wayford. At the river fork stand several gibbets with a long and bloody history, notable in recent years for playing host to Red Walder and his outlaws, a plague on the Mitwold for many years finally brought to justice in 359YE following a week-long standoff in the Shepford Brewery near the Wayford Bridge. The town is also notable due to legends of a monstrous creature known variously as [[Jack of Irons|Jack-in-chains]], Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack who is said to be buried somewhere nearby. Shortly before the Winter Solstice 381YE, a menhir of white granite called [[#The Pale Chain|the Pale Chain]] was [[Construct_Giant's_Well|raised]] over the site where the giant is apparently entombed.

=== The Maiden Stone ===
An ancient menhir that stands in a scorched area of land in a grove of ash trees. Every year before the Spring festival the farmers of the area weave the largest straw dolly known in the territories. The Straw Maiden, as the creation is known, is 12 feet tall adorned with wild flowers with intricate patterns of vines woven into her skirt. The Maiden’s skirt is hollow at the base and she is placed atop the stone. The [[Landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] then perform a night-long ritual designed to bring prosperity to the fields and flocks of the people of the Downs. The Maiden then stands in the grove until the end of Summer, visited by travellers who leave gifts of food, [[The_Marches_hearth_magic#Poppets|poppets]], minor trinkets, and other offerings at her foot in the hope that she may bring them some small favour. Although the Maiden is exposed to all weathers and temperaments, she does not rot, blow away or decay in any way, staying as fresh and brightly golden as the day she was placed upon the stone. Then, at the festival of Autumn Harvest there is another ceremony, the culmination of which sees the Maiden set alight, burning until there is nothing left.

Needless to say, the ceremonies of the Maiden Stone are roundly criticised by priests of the [[Synod]]. There have been efforts by priests from outside the Marches to ban the practice, denounced as the worst kind of [[Religious_crime#Idolatry|idolatry]]. The [[Sevenfold Path]] has occasionally attempted to get the [[Conclave]] to [[Declaration#Declaration of Interdiction|interdict]] the ceremonies without success. In 186YE and 247YE, the ceremonies were stopped for a short time but in both cases resumed less than a year later.

The landskeepers of Meadow Downs claim that they are simply performing the three powerful farm-blessing [[enchantment|enchantments]] ([[Blessing of New Spring]], [[Strong Ox, Golden Sun]], and [[Gathering the Harvest]]) and that the gifts left by visitors are simply a harmless tradition. There is some evidence that the landskeepers also perform a rite in the depths of Winter without any witnesses; lurid speculation surrounds this ceremony.

===The Pale Chain===
The Pale Chain is a hulking monolith of white granite from [[Upwold#Sutton_Stone_Quarries|Sutton Stone Quarries]] raised near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]] shortly after the Autumn Equinox 381YE. The looming rock is engraved with a spreading oak tree above a three-link chain, giving the menhir its common name. Some rumours suggest there is a second engraving on the bottom of the stone, allegedly in the form of a peculiarly proportioned lion. The construction was plagued with problems and vocal accusations from some of the workers that the project was cursed. One of the skilled masons responsible for shaping the stone lost her arm as the stone was lowered into place, and many of those working on the site muttered in hushed tones of similar unlikely "accidents".

The Pale Chain covers the well where the ravenous giant known as "Bloody Jack" apparently lies forever entombed. The site is watched over by a handful of yeomen from [[The Marches groups#House_Guildenstern|House Guildenstern]] in [[Upwold#Stock_March|Stock March]] - something that has raised some hackles in Maiden Downs. There are also reports of a peculiar pale figure, wrapped in chains and with unpleasantly inhuman features, lurking near the stone on moonless nights - many believe this is one of the heralds of [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Tharim|Tharim]] that came to the Marches via the winter [[regio]] known as the [[Hunters_and_wolves#In_the_Copse_of_the_Bone_Birch|Copse of the Bone Birch]] in [[Upwold#Birchland|Birchland]]. According to local stories, if one approaches the stone on such nights and presses one's ear to the ground, a low rumbling voice can be heard from deep in the earth ranting and raving about thieves and liars. Local children have already begun daring one another to approach the stone and test this story out.

===Statue of Cockscroft Lad===
In 385YE, [[Siakha]] heralds [[When Spring comes|attacked]] a Wanderers-Allfriars game, killing thirty-two. '''Jonathan Piper of Cockscroft''', whose early warning prevented wider tragedy, is celebrated with a statue at the old Wanderers practice ground. His expression is mournful, head turned to the name-covered ball in his left hand as he raises a bell to call the hue and cry.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Householder.jpg|width=250|align=left}}

==Regions==
===Golden Downs===
The rich farms of Golden Downs are home to the prosperous village of [[#Hay|Hay]], as well as a number of smaller farming villages. It is also the location of the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields#The Silent Giant|Silent Giant]] standing stone that watches over the surrounding fields, and is in turn watched over by the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields]]. Several other stones mark the old boundaries of one farm or another but the Silent Giant is the largest.

For the last three decades, the Golden Downs has been in a state of war-readiness, expecting an invasion from the Mournwold - indeed the Jotun raided north into the region many times over the duration of the occupation. Citizen militia such as the Hay Irregulars prided themselves on their readiness to fight off such raids, even in the absence of organised Marcher armies. Many [[military unit|independent Marcher captains]] cut their teeth taking [[Military_unit#Take_Independent_Action|paid work]] protecting the rich farms of Mitwold. The need for such special forces was reduced significantly in 377YE when the [[Imperial Master of Works]] approved the creation of [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in Golden Downs.

During the Jotun invasion of the Mournwold in 349YE, many of the citizens of [[Mournwold#Green March|Green March]] fled north to the Golden Downs; a long history of good relations and familial ties between the two regions helped to mitigate any negative effects of this influx of landless yeomen. Unlike many of the Mournwold refugees the majority of these former refugees show little interest in returning to reclaim the land they (or more often their parents) lost three decades ago.

===Maiden Downs===
The Downs are covered in a patchwork of wealthy and prosperous farms. Some outsiders attribute the success of the farms here to the magic of the [[#Maiden Stone|Maiden Stone]], but the yeomen who work the land here disparage such suggestions. Rather, they point out, their farms are prosperous because they work bloody hard to keep them that way. Still, the [[Landskeeper|Landskeepers]] of the Maiden Downs have a reputation for being a little peculiar, and to be significantly more secretive than those in the rest of the Marches - almost ''[[Bregasland|bregas]]'' in the words of some.

There are no large settlements in Maiden Downs - not even along the highway that links [[#Wayford|Wayford]] to [[Upwold#Stockland|Stockland]]. Farmers are as likely to sell their produce in either town, depending on which is paying the better price in any given season. This has led to a few feuds between households of Maiden Downs and those of Golden Downs and the Meadows over what is seen as "''a lack of loyalty to Mitwold''."

===Meade March===
*'''Quality:''' City, Coastal
Often called the heart of Mitwold, Meade March is the location of the small city of [[#Meade|Meade]], built at the mouth of the river that shares its name. Meade is prosperous, and its port bustling, and since the [[Dredge the Westmere|dredging of the Westmere]], the waters are now deep and wide enough to allow passage to an [[navy|navy]]. Before the Westmere was dredged the alders of the city occasionally discussed how dredging the river would allow the construction of a [[shipyard]], but there was never enough support for such a large-scale undertaking. With the river dredging complete there is now discussion on whether a shipyard will be built after all, or at least a [[fortification]] given that Meade is now potentially at risk of being sacked by a barbarian navy.

Outside of Meade, the Meade March is covered with farms and scattered villages, and even a few small towns. The yeomen here have a somewhat undeserved reputation in the rest of the Marches for considering themselves "''better''" than everyone else because of their proximity to Meade - of giving themselves "''airs and graces''". A common stereotype that appears occasionally in plays and stories is that of the Meade yeoman who farms their field wearing a rich outfit, more suited to a feast day than a work day. There is little factual foundation to this prejudice - although many yeomen of the Meade March visit the city at least once a season and thus have access to a significantly wider array of goods and cloth than residents of more isolated parts of the Marches.

===The Meadows===
While most of this region is rolling farmland, the northern Meadows abuts the [[Kallavesa#Wittal_Grove|Wittal Grove]] of [[Kallavesa]]. The woodlands are home to at least one group of [[Feni]], but for the most part the Meadows is a peaceful, pastoral place. Before the Empire, however, there were occasional clashes between Marchers and raiders from Wintermarker along the border, and the northern woodlands still have an unsavoury reputation as being haunted.

South of the border, the forests that once grew in the Meadows were cleared centuries ago. Here and there between the farms however, a lone tree stands as a boundary marker and a silent reminder of a time when much of the Meadows was covered in trees. These so-called ''Lone Oaks'' are reminiscent in some ways of the menhirs found in other parts of the Marches. According to tales told across the Meadows, in the first years of the Marches the northern woods were home to terrible monsters who regularly attacked people trying to settle north of the Meade river. Eventually, however, a wily blacksmith made a deal with the ruler of the monsters. The creatures would leave the settlers alone if in return the Marchers stopped cutting all the trees down. In the end the Marchers had the last laugh however - they cut down almost all the trees leaving only a scattering of Lone Oaks - but by the careful wording of the agreement the monsters were unable to harm the people of the Meadows as they had kept to the letter of their bargain.

In addition to its farms and eerie trees, the Meadows is also well known for its [[herb garden|herb gardens]], especially in the north. In particular, the quality of [[True Vervain]] grown in the Meadows is generally held to be unmatched in the Marches. The herbalists of the Meadows are known to make occasional pilgrimages north to Wittal, in Kallavesa, to share lore and trade herbs.

===Oddmire===
*'''Quality:''' Coastal, [[#Under Threat|Under Threat]] (Jotun) when the Jotun control [[Bregasland#Ottermire|Ottermire]]
When the Marchers first arrived in Mitwold, Oddmire was extremely marshy. Several decades of work reclaimed most of the region, despite the best efforts of angry [[marshwalkers]] to stop the draining of the swamps and marshes. There are still some treacherous bogs in Oddmire, especially along the southern and western borders with Bregasland, but the majority of the region is fertile farmland. As is traditional in the marches, there are large numbers of farms here, but there are also a few more isolated communities built on the small, rocky islands that lie along the southern shore of the Westmere.

The most prominent settlement here is assuredly '''Odd’s End''', a bustling fishing port. The fisherfolk of Odd's End are known to have something of a chip on their shoulder when it comes to the larger, more prosperous Meade. They fly their banner - a leaping salmon - proudly whenever they set sail and barely a year passes without a major row between fisherfolk from Odds End and boats out of Meade over fishing grounds. A well-respected monastery - Odd's House - stands near the port, dedicated to the virtue of [[Pride]], and the monks there regularly encourage the people of Odd's End to stand up for their rights against the larger Meade.

Beginning to rival Odd's End in prominence is '''Steward's Landing'''. In early 384YE, Imperial heroes [[By_fountains,_by_fishes#Steward.27s_Landing|stopped a Jotun raid]] from destroying this small coastal village. ''Jarvey "Strongoar" Oddsboy'', the steward of the small [[Marcher household]] who oversees Steward's Landing repaid that aid by throwing his full support [[By fountains, by fishes|behind the ambitious raids]] into [[Skallahn]]. By all accounts Jarvey and the rest of House Oddsboy did quite well out of [[Take it further|both raids]]. Part of his profits were put towards expanding Steward's Landing, and along with several fellow coastal stewards, they turned the village into a permanent staging post for Marcher [[fleet|ship captains]] - such as they are - to raid the coastline of Kalsea and [[Fleet#Raid_Kalsea's_coastline|take the wealth]] of the [[Jotun]]. The loot that passes through Steward's Landing has helped fund addition jetties, a boatyard, and expanded the prestige of House Oddsboy significantly.
<box>'''Odd of Odd's End'''<br>
Odd of Odd's End is a popular folk hero from the early days of the Empire, born around 45YE. She was an outspoken devotee of the virtue of [[Pride]], and in later life founded the [[monastery]] that still bears her name. Settling her folk on the shore when the Marchers first reached the Westmere, declaring that this would be the place where she would end her days, she was instrumental in the draining of Oddmire among other significant deeds. A series of stories, popular with Mitwold's mummers, recount the many deeds of this folk hero, especially her battles against marshwalkers, and her rivalry with the alders of Meade.<br><br>Despite her popularity, there has been no serious effort to have Odd recognised as an [[Paragons_and_Exemplars#Exemplars|exemplar]] by the [[Synod]]. When the matter has been raised, the abbot of Odd's End generally shrugs and responds with a variant of "We know she's an exemplar, why should we look to outsiders to confirm it?" Regardless, "Mother Odd" was recognised as an exemplar of Pride in 376YE, shortly before the requirements for [[recognition]] were made stricter. This appears to have had little effect on the people of Odd's End.</box>

==Special Qualities==
===Under threat===
* '''Oddmire'''
During the Winter Solstice 384YE, the Jotun worked with Marcher traitors to expand and reinforce the Otterway in Bregasland. Formerly a narrow raised track that could just about allow two ox carts to pass one another without falling into the fens, it is now a solid construction that would allow twenty soldiers to march abreast along it... into Mitwold.

'''Game Effect:''' While a region has the ''Under threat'' quality, the Jotun and their allies are considered to have a [[beachhead]] in that region. This means their armies will not suffer the usual penalty to take the first region in an enemy territory, as long as they are attacking a region with the ''under threat'' quality.

{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mitwold|Territory=Mitwold|Season=Summer}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Summer Solstice 388YE, the Marches control the entire territory. Mitwold is an Imperial territory.
* [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] is a rank one [[fortification]].
* [[Farm|Farms]] in the territory benefit from the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] and the Black Canal and produce an extra 72 rings each season.
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Black Canal and produce an extra 36 rings each season

==Further Reading==
* [[Where the slow river flows]] - 388YE Spring wind of war about the effort to push the Jotun from their toehold in the Meadows and start reclaiming Meade March
* [[Rose grow the rushes o']] - 387YE Winter wind of war about the Jotun invasion of Oddmire and Meade March

<ic>Ned shook his head, feeling the wounds under the brigantine. "The gambeson and the brig are holding everything closed Henry. Without the full services of the hospital in Anvil I won't be able to close them fast enough if we take it off. I'm so sorry my friend."

Henry Talbot sat with his back to the tumbled wall of the burnt out homestead, sweat plastering his dark hair to his forehead.

The flush of vigorous life had faded from his cheeks during the escape from the barbarians, but mischief still sparked defiantly in his eyes. Sun beat down and wisps of steam made thin halos about their heads. "Nothing you could have done Ned. Thank the boys for carrying me all this way... How long do you think?"

" It could be an hour, or as short as you..."

Ned paused as he reached into his pouch of herbs. A decade of hunts made him grab instinctively for his pike, the mating cry of a Bregesland Dove in the wrong season could only mean one thing.

"Cullach-A-Cullach!" Sounded to the right, accompanied by a gurgling squeal. A moment later two Orc scouts and a human slave burst from the bushes in front of them. Ned brought the pike to bear, but not fast enough.

The smaller of the two orcs, face split with a recent wound, shoved the slave into the pike and drove her body onto the shaft. Ned drew his dagger, but the orcs were on him before the sword was free. Not relishing the prospect of a standing fight they rushed forward and bore Ned to the earth.

In a flash decision Ned dropped the dagger, grasping the wrist holding a rusty knife and breaking the nose of the second Orc. Broken Nose rolled away from the melee, streaming blood and curses, while Split Face and Ned struggled over the knife.

Suddenly Henry was stood astride Split Face, Ned's dagger in hand. With a butcher's confidence he sliced Split Face's neck to the bone, drenching Ned in ichor.

Ned held fast to the rusty knife, taking it from unresisting hands. As he cleared his eyes Ned heard Henry grunt and the tip of a blade emerged from his stomach. Henry toppled and Broken Nose stooped over the to pull the notched sword free.

Roaring in fury, Ned kicked Split Face's body off and launched himself forward. The notched sword was trapped and useless between them, allowing Ned free reign with the rusty knife...

Ham came to check on them once the rest of the orc scouts were disposed of. Ned sat beside the ashen body of Henry Talbot, truly still now that he had begun his journey through the labyrinth. The remains of a human and two orcs lay in the remains of the herb garden. Not a word passed between the Cullach, just a look and a nod.

With great care they removed Henry's harness and hid it up the chimney of the homestead, suspended from the meat smoking hooks. Ham took the small antler handled knife from Ned's shaking hand and cut Henry's warm heart free from his chest. Ned knelt and filled Henry's mouth with Marcher soil, replaced in the oiled pouch by the heart. They closed his eyes and pushed the remaining wall of the homestead over him.

The fallen stones would conceal him from desecration and keep him from scavengers. Now they had to move on, their burden heavier than a dying friend.

"Rest well Henry Talbot, your march is done."</ic>

[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]
[[Category:Jotun]]

Mitwold

2026-08-06T11:09:36Z

GuiltyConscience: /* OOC Notes */

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMitwold.png|caption=The households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry.|title=Regions of Mitwold|align=left|width=500}}
==The Pride of the Marches==
Mitwold is arguably the richest of the Marcher territories. There's gold in the soil of Mitwold - the gold of rich harvests of fruit and grain. It has a substantial coast, scattered with small fishing villages and the occasional lonely watchtower. As one moves further inland, the rocky coast gives way to fertile chalk-soiled downs, with rich game-filled woodland, large [[farm|farms]], and prosperous [[market town|market towns]] beyond. The largest settlement in Mitwold - indeed in the Marches - is the "town" of [[#Meade|Meade]], standing proudly at the mouth of the river that shares its name. More a small city than a town, Meade is in some ways the beating heart of the Marches.

When the other nations imagine the Marches, it is usually Mitwold they bring to mind - acres upon acres of well-tended fields and orchards, laid out like a grand patchwork blanket, scattered with villages connected by roads and dirt tracks. Here and there a lonely menhir watches over the land around it, often marking a point of historical interest, or serving as a meeting place for the [[landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the adjoining area.

This is also the territory where many of the best known [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Sports_and_Games|ball games]] are played, and it is a regular occurrence for some local dispute to be settled over a savage game of rugby, foot-the-ball, or rounders. Some of the traditional inter-village or inter-household games go back centuries, having become regular fixtures long before the foundation of the Empire. Many have their own traditions - the people of Parkestown and Harwich in the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] compete annually to determine the control of a prime stretch of grazing land between their two villages, for example,

More than anywhere else in the Marches, the [[Marcher household|households]] of Mitwold are engaged in feuding and bitter rivalry. The closer two households are to one another, the more likely it is that they are engaged in a long-running feud. Often the original cause of the feud is lost to history, having become a self-perpetuating state of affairs as each slight delivered by a rival becomes justification for the retaliation that follows. These feuds rarely lead to bloodshed - it is a rivalry of skinned knuckles not bloodied knives.

==Recent History==
Mitwold's history has been comparatively peaceful. Bregasland and Mournwold provide a buffer, protecting it from the martial ambitions of the [[Jotun]]. That is not to say it has been without incident; several times in pre-Imperial history the people of the Marches were at war with the people of [[Wintermark]]. Lonely menhirs and stands of ancient trees along the northern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]] and [[#Meade March|Meade March]] mark ancient, largely-forgotten battlegrounds. From time to time, stories circulate of unquiet spirits around some of the barrow mounds - bitter Wintermark warriors interred in Marcher soil.

For the most part though, Mitwold has enjoyed the benefits of being a relatively safe place to live, secure in its prosperity - or as sure as any agricultural territory reliant on good harvests can be.

The [[March on their belly|disastrous failure of the Autumn harvest]] in 379YE was followed by a particularly [[March on their belly#Resolution|harsh winter]] during which all the farmers of the Marches suffered significant losses in order to keep the Imperial armies marching. Then the Spring 380YE planting was hit with torrential rains and a vicious blight that devoured many of the seeds before they can be put in the ground. While the rest of the Empire was enjoying a burst of [[The prime colour of the world|vitality and fertility]], the farms of Bregasland, Upwold, and Mitwold were once again labouring under the yoke of a vicious magical [[curse]] that ruined the crops, sapped the life from the beasts in the fields, and spread sickness and hunger wherever it touched.

The plan to construct the ''Imperial Breadbasket'' began in the markets of [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]] and received immediate support from [[market town|market towns]] across the Marches. Led by the people of Meade, the alders put their hands in their pockets - not as an act of charity, but as recognition of the fact the Marches prosper when the farmers prosper. It was an investment for the future, as well as an effort to "darn the rip" between the folk of the market towns, and the rest of the Marches. As a result, shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE, work was completed on a network of granaries and storehouses across Mitwold as part of the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#Granaries and Storehouses - the Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] [[great work]]. In addition to its work in securing the future of the Marches, this has helped to improve relations between the yeomanry and the residents of the market towns - reinforcing that even though they do not till the soil, they are still Marchers.

Shortly before the Autumn Equinox 380YE, an earth tremor struck Mitwold, its epicentre near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]]. At first, the effects seemed minor - a little damage to some of the buildings in Wayford - but shortly after creatures similar to [[ogre|ogres]] began to appear in the area. Investigations by Marcher heroes discovered that the cause of the raids - if not the earth tremor itself - was an unnatural creature, buried deep beneath the earth. "Bloody Jack" appeared to be some sort of horrible troll creature, no doubt the source of the local legends of Jack-in-Chains. The entity lay at the bottom of an old stone-choked well, bound with magical chains - chains that had been damaged in the earth tremor and were close to breaking completely. The creature remained a threat to Mitwold until the Summer Solstice 381YE. With the [[Under_the_red_sky#Tharim|aid of the Winter Archmage]], several brave yeofolk made a bargain with the sinister [[eternal]] [[Tharim]], allowing the subterranean beast to once again be bound tightly. Several foolish youths tried to gain access to the troll-creature's tomb in search of treasure, but such expeditions were decisively curtailed by the placement of the Pale Chain, a white granite stone that now blocks the entrance to the well.

The business with Bloody Jack also brought to light stories of the Marcher blacksmiths - legendary figures who combined a practical appreciation for metalwork with a calling for negotiating with eternals. These capable individuals disappeared from the Marches as the result of a deal with the Autumn eternal [[Estavus]], and so long ago they were largely forgotten. Several Marcher scholars [[Bregasland and the smiths#The Marcher Smiths|looked into the situation]], and worked to secure the return or release of this uniquely Marcher tradition - a possibility that was [[Smith|recently realised]].

==Points of Interest==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Marcher Finery.jpg|caption=Bridget Talbot served as Senator for Mitwold in the difficult years after the death of [[Empress Britta]].|align=right|width=300}}</div>
=== Meade ===
The largest settlement in the Marches is the city (technically a [[market town]]; it received its charter from [[Empress Mariika]] in 225YE) of Meade in [[#Meade March|Meade March]]. Crowded around the mouth of the eponymous river on the shores of Westmere, Meade is not only the spiritual and administrative heart for the nation, it is also a port whose ships deal in fishing, trade with foreign nations and sea defence against the barbarians through Westmere and the cold salt waters of the Gullet.

Meade is where yeomen from across the Marches come to spend hard-earned coin, and often plays host to foreign visitors from other nations. The lavish week-long Harvest’s End Festival takes place in Meade every autumn, and sees the city fill with folk from all across the Empire. Still, Meade is not without its problems. Some yeomen look askance at the citizens, questioning how they can be ''proper'' Marchers given they live in a town rather than on a farm. To many of their critics, they are merchants, not true yeomen. They point to the scandal during the reign of [[Empress Giselle]] when several alders were implicated in a plot to secede from the Marches - a plot that never had much popular support but whose existence alone was enough to rekindle rumours that the folk of Meade are "not proper." At the same time, the alders of Meade know that their settlement is not even half the size of the great cities of [[the League]], and this can lead to efforts to try and compete with the [[The_League_leadership|merchant princes]] of [[Tassato]] and [[Temeschwar]] with predictably disappointing consequences.

Still, regardless of the past and the attitude of some suspicious yeomen, the people of Meade are Marchers through-and-through. They are practical, stubborn people who hold fiercely to the [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs|traditions]] of the Marches. As their recent involvement in the formation of the Imperial Breadbasket demonstrates, when push comes to shove they look out for their own people - the people of the Marches.

In the wake of the death of [[Empress Britta]] in 376YE, semi-organised groups of bandits began to prey on traders travelling by land from Meade. By [[Town defences|order]] of the [[Senate]], in early 377YE a series of watchtowers and earthworks were constructed around Meade to help address this problem. The works were overseen by Bridget Eastville née Talbot (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. While the defences are not sufficient to qualify Meade as a true [[fortifications|fortification]], they have already helped reduce brigandry throughout the territory.

The [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] has a small office in Meade, although most title holders spend little time there (apart from overseeing the security of the grand market on the third weekend of each month). The Bailiff is an [[Imperial title]] appointed each Winter Solstice by the farmers of the Marches.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Forte Fidelis.jpg||caption=Built by Richard Tunstall to guard Mitwold from Jotun aggression.|align=right|width=350}}
===Forte Fidelis===
In 377YE '''Richard Tunstall''', as the [[Imperial Master of Works]], approved the creation of Forte Fidelis in Golden Downs. It was one of only two castles approved by the Master before the Senate [[Amend_powers_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works|removed their ability to do so]]. Construction was funded partly by the Master's stipend (before it was removed by the Senate), and partly by money raised and donated by the Marchers themselves. Work on the fortification was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 378YE.

The fortification was completed while the [[Accept_Jotun_ceasefire|Jotun ceasefire]] was still in place as a counter to Mitwold's perceived vulnerability to attack from the Mournwold, once hostilities inevitably resumed. Surrounded on all sides by a deep moat, accessible only by a relatively narrow bridge. the castle has yet to see combat. It takes its name from the [[Languages#Latin|Old Asavean]] motto of the Talbot household - "forte et fidelis." Following his retirement from Imperial politics, Richard Tunstall still serves as the castellan, ensuring that the castle is prepared for any potential invasion of Mitwold.

=== Hay ===
“The golden fields of Hay” appear in many a Marcher song. Hay is quintessential Marches, a small rural town set amongst rolling fields. Following the invasion of the Mournwold, the folk of Hay were been deeply concerned about the threat of further orc aggression. Several locals have formed themselves into the Hay Irregulars, an unofficial force dedicated to helping turn back the barbarians should they attempt a concerted raid. The Irregulars served with some distinction fighting off small bands of raiding Jotun, before the Mournwold was finally liberated in Autumn 381YE.

Hay is rightly famous for its fields of wheat, and for its bakeries. Many of the farmers of the [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] bring their grain to market here, where a significant portion of it is used to make flour and bread products including the famous "Hay Huffer" - a crusty triangular bread roll with a thick, doughy texture designed to fill the bellies of labourers across Mitwold and beyond.

=== Wayford ===
A large market town at the confluence of the upper tributaries of the Meade. A layer of gritstone in between the chalk of the wolds means the river is wide and shallow, allowing livestock from the hills to cross, or embark on riverboats to Meade itself. Built along the southern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]], it is a bustling settlement known for its travellers' inns and for its monthly cattle and sheep markets. Merchants visiting Meade pass through Wayford, as do Marcher traders exporting food and drink to the wider Empire. The town is quite cosmopolitan - there is a large transitory population of [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]], [[the League|League]] citizens, and [[Navarr]] coming to Wayford to travel.

All this prosperous trade attracts its fair share of trouble, and the [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] is regularly called upon to deal with bandits and brigands preying on trade along the roads that pass through Wayford. At the river fork stand several gibbets with a long and bloody history, notable in recent years for playing host to Red Walder and his outlaws, a plague on the Mitwold for many years finally brought to justice in 359YE following a week-long standoff in the Shepford Brewery near the Wayford Bridge. The town is also notable due to legends of a monstrous creature known variously as [[Jack of Irons|Jack-in-chains]], Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack who is said to be buried somewhere nearby. Shortly before the Winter Solstice 381YE, a menhir of white granite called [[#The Pale Chain|the Pale Chain]] was [[Construct_Giant's_Well|raised]] over the site where the giant is apparently entombed.

=== The Maiden Stone ===
An ancient menhir that stands in a scorched area of land in a grove of ash trees. Every year before the Spring festival the farmers of the area weave the largest straw dolly known in the territories. The Straw Maiden, as the creation is known, is 12 feet tall adorned with wild flowers with intricate patterns of vines woven into her skirt. The Maiden’s skirt is hollow at the base and she is placed atop the stone. The [[Landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] then perform a night-long ritual designed to bring prosperity to the fields and flocks of the people of the Downs. The Maiden then stands in the grove until the end of Summer, visited by travellers who leave gifts of food, [[The_Marches_hearth_magic#Poppets|poppets]], minor trinkets, and other offerings at her foot in the hope that she may bring them some small favour. Although the Maiden is exposed to all weathers and temperaments, she does not rot, blow away or decay in any way, staying as fresh and brightly golden as the day she was placed upon the stone. Then, at the festival of Autumn Harvest there is another ceremony, the culmination of which sees the Maiden set alight, burning until there is nothing left.

Needless to say, the ceremonies of the Maiden Stone are roundly criticised by priests of the [[Synod]]. There have been efforts by priests from outside the Marches to ban the practice, denounced as the worst kind of [[Religious_crime#Idolatry|idolatry]]. The [[Sevenfold Path]] has occasionally attempted to get the [[Conclave]] to [[Declaration#Declaration of Interdiction|interdict]] the ceremonies without success. In 186YE and 247YE, the ceremonies were stopped for a short time but in both cases resumed less than a year later.

The landskeepers of Meadow Downs claim that they are simply performing the three powerful farm-blessing [[enchantment|enchantments]] ([[Blessing of New Spring]], [[Strong Ox, Golden Sun]], and [[Gathering the Harvest]]) and that the gifts left by visitors are simply a harmless tradition. There is some evidence that the landskeepers also perform a rite in the depths of Winter without any witnesses; lurid speculation surrounds this ceremony.

===The Pale Chain===
The Pale Chain is a hulking monolith of white granite from [[Upwold#Sutton_Stone_Quarries|Sutton Stone Quarries]] raised near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]] shortly after the Autumn Equinox 381YE. The looming rock is engraved with a spreading oak tree above a three-link chain, giving the menhir its common name. Some rumours suggest there is a second engraving on the bottom of the stone, allegedly in the form of a peculiarly proportioned lion. The construction was plagued with problems and vocal accusations from some of the workers that the project was cursed. One of the skilled masons responsible for shaping the stone lost her arm as the stone was lowered into place, and many of those working on the site muttered in hushed tones of similar unlikely "accidents".

The Pale Chain covers the well where the ravenous giant known as "Bloody Jack" apparently lies forever entombed. The site is watched over by a handful of yeomen from [[The Marches groups#House_Guildenstern|House Guildenstern]] in [[Upwold#Stock_March|Stock March]] - something that has raised some hackles in Maiden Downs. There are also reports of a peculiar pale figure, wrapped in chains and with unpleasantly inhuman features, lurking near the stone on moonless nights - many believe this is one of the heralds of [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Tharim|Tharim]] that came to the Marches via the winter [[regio]] known as the [[Hunters_and_wolves#In_the_Copse_of_the_Bone_Birch|Copse of the Bone Birch]] in [[Upwold#Birchland|Birchland]]. According to local stories, if one approaches the stone on such nights and presses one's ear to the ground, a low rumbling voice can be heard from deep in the earth ranting and raving about thieves and liars. Local children have already begun daring one another to approach the stone and test this story out.

===Statue of Cockscroft Lad===
In 385YE, [[Siakha]] heralds [[When Spring comes|attacked]] a Wanderers-Allfriars game, killing thirty-two. '''Jonathan Piper of Cockscroft''', whose early warning prevented wider tragedy, is celebrated with a statue at the old Wanderers practice ground. His expression is mournful, head turned to the name-covered ball in his left hand as he raises a bell to call the hue and cry.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Householder.jpg|width=250|align=left}}

==Regions==
===Golden Downs===
The rich farms of Golden Downs are home to the prosperous village of [[#Hay|Hay]], as well as a number of smaller farming villages. It is also the location of the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields#The Silent Giant|Silent Giant]] standing stone that watches over the surrounding fields, and is in turn watched over by the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields]]. Several other stones mark the old boundaries of one farm or another but the Silent Giant is the largest.

For the last three decades, the Golden Downs has been in a state of war-readiness, expecting an invasion from the Mournwold - indeed the Jotun raided north into the region many times over the duration of the occupation. Citizen militia such as the Hay Irregulars prided themselves on their readiness to fight off such raids, even in the absence of organised Marcher armies. Many [[military unit|independent Marcher captains]] cut their teeth taking [[Military_unit#Take_Independent_Action|paid work]] protecting the rich farms of Mitwold. The need for such special forces was reduced significantly in 377YE when the [[Imperial Master of Works]] approved the creation of [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in Golden Downs.

During the Jotun invasion of the Mournwold in 349YE, many of the citizens of [[Mournwold#Green March|Green March]] fled north to the Golden Downs; a long history of good relations and familial ties between the two regions helped to mitigate any negative effects of this influx of landless yeomen. Unlike many of the Mournwold refugees the majority of these former refugees show little interest in returning to reclaim the land they (or more often their parents) lost three decades ago.

===Maiden Downs===
The Downs are covered in a patchwork of wealthy and prosperous farms. Some outsiders attribute the success of the farms here to the magic of the [[#Maiden Stone|Maiden Stone]], but the yeomen who work the land here disparage such suggestions. Rather, they point out, their farms are prosperous because they work bloody hard to keep them that way. Still, the [[Landskeeper|Landskeepers]] of the Maiden Downs have a reputation for being a little peculiar, and to be significantly more secretive than those in the rest of the Marches - almost ''[[Bregasland|bregas]]'' in the words of some.

There are no large settlements in Maiden Downs - not even along the highway that links [[#Wayford|Wayford]] to [[Upwold#Stockland|Stockland]]. Farmers are as likely to sell their produce in either town, depending on which is paying the better price in any given season. This has led to a few feuds between households of Maiden Downs and those of Golden Downs and the Meadows over what is seen as "''a lack of loyalty to Mitwold''."

===Meade March===
*'''Quality:''' City, Coastal
Often called the heart of Mitwold, Meade March is the location of the small city of [[#Meade|Meade]], built at the mouth of the river that shares its name. Meade is prosperous, and its port bustling, and since the [[Dredge the Westmere|dredging of the Westmere]], the waters are now deep and wide enough to allow passage to an [[navy|navy]]. Before the Westmere was dredged the alders of the city occasionally discussed how dredging the river would allow the construction of a [[shipyard]], but there was never enough support for such a large-scale undertaking. With the river dredging complete there is now discussion on whether a shipyard will be built after all, or at least a [[fortification]] given that Meade is now potentially at risk of being sacked by a barbarian navy.

Outside of Meade, the Meade March is covered with farms and scattered villages, and even a few small towns. The yeomen here have a somewhat undeserved reputation in the rest of the Marches for considering themselves "''better''" than everyone else because of their proximity to Meade - of giving themselves "''airs and graces''". A common stereotype that appears occasionally in plays and stories is that of the Meade yeoman who farms their field wearing a rich outfit, more suited to a feast day than a work day. There is little factual foundation to this prejudice - although many yeomen of the Meade March visit the city at least once a season and thus have access to a significantly wider array of goods and cloth than residents of more isolated parts of the Marches.

===The Meadows===
While most of this region is rolling farmland, the northern Meadows abuts the [[Kallavesa#Wittal_Grove|Wittal Grove]] of [[Kallavesa]]. The woodlands are home to at least one group of [[Feni]], but for the most part the Meadows is a peaceful, pastoral place. Before the Empire, however, there were occasional clashes between Marchers and raiders from Wintermarker along the border, and the northern woodlands still have an unsavoury reputation as being haunted.

South of the border, the forests that once grew in the Meadows were cleared centuries ago. Here and there between the farms however, a lone tree stands as a boundary marker and a silent reminder of a time when much of the Meadows was covered in trees. These so-called ''Lone Oaks'' are reminiscent in some ways of the menhirs found in other parts of the Marches. According to tales told across the Meadows, in the first years of the Marches the northern woods were home to terrible monsters who regularly attacked people trying to settle north of the Meade river. Eventually, however, a wily blacksmith made a deal with the ruler of the monsters. The creatures would leave the settlers alone if in return the Marchers stopped cutting all the trees down. In the end the Marchers had the last laugh however - they cut down almost all the trees leaving only a scattering of Lone Oaks - but by the careful wording of the agreement the monsters were unable to harm the people of the Meadows as they had kept to the letter of their bargain.

In addition to its farms and eerie trees, the Meadows is also well known for its [[herb garden|herb gardens]], especially in the north. In particular, the quality of [[True Vervain]] grown in the Meadows is generally held to be unmatched in the Marches. The herbalists of the Meadows are known to make occasional pilgrimages north to Wittal, in Kallavesa, to share lore and trade herbs.

===Oddmire===
*'''Quality:''' Coastal, [[#Under Threat|Under Threat]] (Jotun) when the Jotun control [[Bregasland#Ottermire|Ottermire]]
When the Marchers first arrived in Mitwold, Oddmire was extremely marshy. Several decades of work reclaimed most of the region, despite the best efforts of angry [[marshwalkers]] to stop the draining of the swamps and marshes. There are still some treacherous bogs in Oddmire, especially along the southern and western borders with Bregasland, but the majority of the region is fertile farmland. As is traditional in the marches, there are large numbers of farms here, but there are also a few more isolated communities built on the small, rocky islands that lie along the southern shore of the Westmere.

The most prominent settlement here is assuredly '''Odd’s End''', a bustling fishing port. The fisherfolk of Odd's End are known to have something of a chip on their shoulder when it comes to the larger, more prosperous Meade. They fly their banner - a leaping salmon - proudly whenever they set sail and barely a year passes without a major row between fisherfolk from Odds End and boats out of Meade over fishing grounds. A well-respected monastery - Odd's House - stands near the port, dedicated to the virtue of [[Pride]], and the monks there regularly encourage the people of Odd's End to stand up for their rights against the larger Meade.

Beginning to rival Odd's End in prominence is '''Steward's Landing'''. In early 384YE, Imperial heroes [[By_fountains,_by_fishes#Steward.27s_Landing|stopped a Jotun raid]] from destroying this small coastal village. ''Jarvey "Strongoar" Oddsboy'', the steward of the small [[Marcher household]] who oversees Steward's Landing repaid that aid by throwing his full support [[By fountains, by fishes|behind the ambitious raids]] into [[Skallahn]]. By all accounts Jarvey and the rest of House Oddsboy did quite well out of [[Take it further|both raids]]. Part of his profits were put towards expanding Steward's Landing, and along with several fellow coastal stewards, they turned the village into a permanent staging post for Marcher [[fleet|ship captains]] - such as they are - to raid the coastline of Kalsea and [[Fleet#Raid_Kalsea's_coastline|take the wealth]] of the [[Jotun]]. The loot that passes through Steward's Landing has helped fund addition jetties, a boatyard, and expanded the prestige of House Oddsboy significantly.
<box>'''Odd of Odd's End'''<br>
Odd of Odd's End is a popular folk hero from the early days of the Empire, born around 45YE. She was an outspoken devotee of the virtue of [[Pride]], and in later life founded the [[monastery]] that still bears her name. Settling her folk on the shore when the Marchers first reached the Westmere, declaring that this would be the place where she would end her days, she was instrumental in the draining of Oddmire among other significant deeds. A series of stories, popular with Mitwold's mummers, recount the many deeds of this folk hero, especially her battles against marshwalkers, and her rivalry with the alders of Meade.<br><br>Despite her popularity, there has been no serious effort to have Odd recognised as an [[Paragons_and_Exemplars#Exemplars|exemplar]] by the [[Synod]]. When the matter has been raised, the abbot of Odd's End generally shrugs and responds with a variant of "We know she's an exemplar, why should we look to outsiders to confirm it?" Regardless, "Mother Odd" was recognised as an exemplar of Pride in 376YE, shortly before the requirements for [[recognition]] were made stricter. This appears to have had little effect on the people of Odd's End.</box>

==Special Qualities==
===Under threat===
* '''Oddmire'''
During the Winter Solstice 384YE, the Jotun worked with Marcher traitors to expand and reinforce the Otterway in Bregasland. Formerly a narrow raised track that could just about allow two ox carts to pass one another without falling into the fens, it is now a solid construction that would allow twenty soldiers to march abreast along it... into Mitwold.

'''Game Effect:''' While a region has the ''Under threat'' quality, the Jotun and their allies are considered to have a [[beachhead]] in that region. This means their armies will not suffer the usual penalty to take the first region in an enemy territory, as long as they are attacking a region with the ''under threat'' quality.

{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mitwold|Territory=Mitwold|Season=Summer}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Summer Solstice 388YE, the Marches control the entire territory. Mitwold is an Imperial territory.
* [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] is a rank one [[fortification]].
* [[farm|Farms]] in the territory benefit from the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#The Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] and the Black Canal and produce an extra 72 rings each season.
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Black Canal and produce an extra 36 rings each season

==Further Reading==
* [[Where the slow river flows]] - 388YE Spring wind of war about the effort to push the Jotun from their toehold in the Meadows and start reclaiming Meade March
* [[Rose grow the rushes o']] - 387YE Winter wind of war about the Jotun invasion of Oddmire and Meade March

<ic>Ned shook his head, feeling the wounds under the brigantine. "The gambeson and the brig are holding everything closed Henry. Without the full services of the hospital in Anvil I won't be able to close them fast enough if we take it off. I'm so sorry my friend."

Henry Talbot sat with his back to the tumbled wall of the burnt out homestead, sweat plastering his dark hair to his forehead.

The flush of vigorous life had faded from his cheeks during the escape from the barbarians, but mischief still sparked defiantly in his eyes. Sun beat down and wisps of steam made thin halos about their heads. "Nothing you could have done Ned. Thank the boys for carrying me all this way... How long do you think?"

" It could be an hour, or as short as you..."

Ned paused as he reached into his pouch of herbs. A decade of hunts made him grab instinctively for his pike, the mating cry of a Bregesland Dove in the wrong season could only mean one thing.

"Cullach-A-Cullach!" Sounded to the right, accompanied by a gurgling squeal. A moment later two Orc scouts and a human slave burst from the bushes in front of them. Ned brought the pike to bear, but not fast enough.

The smaller of the two orcs, face split with a recent wound, shoved the slave into the pike and drove her body onto the shaft. Ned drew his dagger, but the orcs were on him before the sword was free. Not relishing the prospect of a standing fight they rushed forward and bore Ned to the earth.

In a flash decision Ned dropped the dagger, grasping the wrist holding a rusty knife and breaking the nose of the second Orc. Broken Nose rolled away from the melee, streaming blood and curses, while Split Face and Ned struggled over the knife.

Suddenly Henry was stood astride Split Face, Ned's dagger in hand. With a butcher's confidence he sliced Split Face's neck to the bone, drenching Ned in ichor.

Ned held fast to the rusty knife, taking it from unresisting hands. As he cleared his eyes Ned heard Henry grunt and the tip of a blade emerged from his stomach. Henry toppled and Broken Nose stooped over the to pull the notched sword free.

Roaring in fury, Ned kicked Split Face's body off and launched himself forward. The notched sword was trapped and useless between them, allowing Ned free reign with the rusty knife...

Ham came to check on them once the rest of the orc scouts were disposed of. Ned sat beside the ashen body of Henry Talbot, truly still now that he had begun his journey through the labyrinth. The remains of a human and two orcs lay in the remains of the herb garden. Not a word passed between the Cullach, just a look and a nod.

With great care they removed Henry's harness and hid it up the chimney of the homestead, suspended from the meat smoking hooks. Ham took the small antler handled knife from Ned's shaking hand and cut Henry's warm heart free from his chest. Ned knelt and filled Henry's mouth with Marcher soil, replaced in the oiled pouch by the heart. They closed his eyes and pushed the remaining wall of the homestead over him.

The fallen stones would conceal him from desecration and keep him from scavengers. Now they had to move on, their burden heavier than a dying friend.

"Rest well Henry Talbot, your march is done."</ic>

[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]
[[Category:Jotun]]

Forwards and Rewards

2026-08-06T10:47:36Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Fines and Funds */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:385YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>Dialogos smiled at his young friend as he paced up and down in front of him, his hands waving animatedly as he talked. What it was to be young and energetic he thought to himself. They rarely saw eye-to-eye but he relished these conversations, they kept him young. They both had such different views of the world but shared the same passions - it was fun to thrash ideas out.

"Vice is contagious - that is an established ''fact''." Haravgi was in his element now, always confident on matters of philosophy like this. "That means, If we allow the Imperial Senate to access these funds, they will be corrupted by it, the vice will consume them like a fire, till all that is left is a house of cowards and thieves! The only way to check that is to ensure virtuous dispensation of the proceeds."

"I hope you're not going to make an argument based on hypothecation?" Dialogos winced in mock pain.

"It's a question of axiology! It's about fundamental values. Putting the money in the hands of the Synod gives it a completely different meaning," said Dialogos.

"Axiology? I think you've got a stronger argument pointing out that the status quo encourages Senate to maximise the amount of crime committed. Either way you're not going to move the Imperial Senate with this, trust me."

"I've thought of that..." Dialogos grinned, clearly pleased to have an opportunity to reveal his master plan.
</ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Rewards and Forwards.jpg|caption=The General [[Assembly]] of the [[Synod]] controls the Virtue Fund - a pool of money endowed to the Synod so that they may directly reward virtuous behaviour.|align=left|width=400}}</div>{{audio|link= https://youtu.be/rGzLmH3Dj04?si=C7aw4KvMXzk2J4id}}
==Overview==
At the Autumn Equinox, Cassia Silkweaver raised a judgement in the Urizen national Assembly that explicitly thanked the Varushkan boyars for their aid in providing an Imperial Wayleave to support the construction of the Gardens of Pallas. Such statements are not uncommon in the national assemblies, where the priests wish to put acts of generosity and Prosperity by citizens of other nations on record.

In theory the Imperial Synod already possesses the means to thank a nation for virtuous acts like the gift of the boyars, but in practice the Virtue fund rarely has the means to provide meaningful restitution on this scale. Even with the proceeds of the sale of Imperial liao, the fund has only a tiny fraction of the money at its disposal that the Imperial Senate has from the treasury.

Inspired by Cassia Silkweaver's statement, two Urizeni priests, the semi-retired architect, Dialogos of the isles of spires, and Haravgi, a young questor of no fixed abode have a pair of proposals that they believe might help. Their aim is to significantly boost the funds available to the virtue fund, on a permanent basis, thereby empowering the Imperial Synod to actively [[Rewarding|reward]] those who are judged to have acted virtuously.

{{SOP|Assembly=Urizen|by=Cassia Silkweaver, Urizen National Assembly|when=Autumn Equinox 385YE|statement=The Prosperous are not selfish, all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it. Last season, the Varushkan boyars donated the use of an Imperial Wayleave to ensure that the Gardens of Pallas could be built in Zenith. We the Urizen National Assembly Witness this act of sharing. Be it hearthside hospitality or uplifting their fellows at a time when much feels broken and uncertain, the Varushkan people have held out their hand to us, and we thank them from the depths of our souls. Despise those who take without giving - this act will not be forgotten by the people of Urizen|vote=Greater Majority (314-0)}}
==Prosperity and Posterity==
* '''Dialogos proposes the construction of Prosperous Counting Houses in each territory in the Empire, to gather donations to the Virtue fund and keep a record for Posterity'''
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Prosperous Counting House'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 5 weirwood, 5 white granite, 30 crowns, and three months to construct</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Adds funds to the Virtue Fund based on territory</td></tr></table>
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''Territory'''</td><td style="background-color: LightYellow;">'''Benefits'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tassato</td><td> 16 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Holberg</td><td> 15 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Sarvos</td><td> 14 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Temeschwar</td><td> 14 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Segura</td><td> 13 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Skarsind</td><td> 13 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Karsk</td><td> 12 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Mitwold</td><td> 12 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Miaren</td><td> 11 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hahnmark</td><td> 11 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Semmerholm</td><td> 11 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Reikos</td><td> 10 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>Zenith</td><td> 10 crowns</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
Dialogos has a simple if expensive solution to the problem - he has created a design for what he calls a Prosperous counting house - a small stone building to be constructed somewhere relatively safe in each territory of the Empire, potentially. The counting house need not be large, they would require just 5 wains of white granite, 5 wains of weirwood and 30 crowns to build and could be completed in a single season. Each counting house would provide a convenient location where Imperial citizens might make a donation to the virtue fund and have their names recorded in an official ledger.

While the inherent virtue of the proposal appeals to Dialogos, the old architect is keenly aware that the ultimate goal is to ensure that the virtue fund has enough money to reward citizens appropriately. A counting house in Sermersuaq is a virtuous thing to do, but it's unlikely to receive the same donations as a counting house in the City of Sarvos in Cigno, simply because there are so many more wealthy merchants living there. To that end he has devoted considerable time to identifying the ten most effective territories in the Empire in which to build a counting house.

In each of the territories identified by Dialogos, a counting house would result in significant donations to the Virtue fund, boosting income by at least 10 crowns each season. Those built in especially wealthy locations like the cities of Sarvos would produce comfortably more. Individually these are small amounts, but if enough counting houses were built, then the Virtue Fund would soon find itself the recipient of a considerable income.

==Fines and Funds==
* '''Haravgi proposes that the Imperial Senate pass a motion instructing the magistrates to pass all fines collected to the Virtue fund'''
* '''Haravgi suggests that the virtuous across the Empire "persuade" the Imperial Senate to pursue this course of action by withdrawing their labour'''

Haravgi has a rather different proposal, one which might prove somewhat more controversial. Having given the issue some thought, the young questor has hit on the novel idea that those who dabble in vice should be the made to support the Virtue fund. In that way, vice becomes expensive, while virtue is rewarded. Of course there is no legal mechanism to compel those who lack virtue to hand their money over, indeed any proposal of that kind is unlikely to be compatible with the Constitution. However Haravgi points out that the unvirtuous are already handing their money over - or at least some of them - those who are fined by the Imperial magistrates for any crimes they are found guilty of.

In pursuit of this idea, Haravgi spent time chasing the Civil Service to find out exactly what happens to the fines collected by the Imperial magistrates. It soon became clear that that money was being spent by the magistrates to fund the efforts of law enforcement to identify and catch criminals. It took a lot more work to identify that this was based on ''tradition'', extending back all the way to the time of Empress Deanne. In fact there was no legal basis for the practice. Eventually Gerard La Salle was forced to accept that this money should in fact be added to the Imperial treasury and confirmed that henceforth that is what would happen.

Having achieved precisely half of what he wanted, Haravgi then obtained a ruling from the Constitutional Court confirming that the Imperial Senate could pass a law indicating that all fines collected should be passed to the Virtue fund. Haravgi has it in writing that such a motion would not violate the Constitutional prohibition on taxation. All he needs to complete his novel idea is to persuade the Imperial Senate to give up the money they have just gained - and pass it to the Synod.

Haravgi's critics have pointed out how unlikely that is to happen. The Empire is always short of money... the Imperial Senate has more money than any individual citizen could dream of, and yet it never seems to be enough. Given the regular friction between them and the Imperial Synod, why would they pass the fines to the Imperial Synod. Haravgi's philosophical arguments about how the money from the fines is tainted and needs the virtuous hand of the Synod to wash the coins clean are unlikely to build any spires according to Dialogos.

Undeterred, Haravgi suggests that if virtuous arguments will not carry the day, then the virtuous must enforce their will on the Senate. The Way of Virtue is about actions not words, says Haravgi, or in the case of his proposal, actions not taken. To that end, Haravgi has asked each assembly of Virtue to consider the following mandate.

{{Mandate|mandate=Despise those who take without giving. The Imperial Senate taxes our Prosperity, but it may not tax our Virtue. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to persuade the faithful to withdraw their labour until the Senate ensures that all fines become the property of the Virtue fund.|assembly=Any Virtue Assembly}}

Each virtue assembly that passes this judgement will be able to influence members of the faithful across the Empire, encouraging them to refuse to support the Imperial Senate. If that happens, then the Imperial Senate will have one less commission slot for each Virtue Assembly (including the Assembly of the Way) that enacts this mandate.

'''Velko Perunovich Razoradze''' has submitted an alternate mandate for the General Assembly to consider.

{{Mandate|mandate=Imperial laws are the boundary that separates mortals from monsters. Fines from crimes being spent by magistrates to try and reduce crime is a virtuous self-funding cycle. We send {named priest} with 200 doses of liao to persuade the faithful to withdraw their labour until the Senate ensures that all fines become the property of the Magistrates, as has been tradition since the reign of Empress Deanne.|assembly=General Assembly}}

If enacted this mandate would prevent any commissions that have a direct labour cost until the Senate assigns the fines back to the Magistrates or until the start of the Winter Solstice 386YE. If this mandate is not enacted with a greater majority then it will still be possible to build commissions in Varushka and Urizen territories - and the [[Boyar of the Iron Roads]] would not be affected. The Master of the Koboldi would be the only person able to freely build commissions. This mandate is not considered to be competing with those available to the Virtue Assemblies.

==Golden Windfalls==
* '''The presence of the Golden Cascade has boosted the production of farms and herb gardens across Zenith'''
* '''Dialogos has persuaded the virtuous citizens of the territory to share this windfall to serve the nation's interests'''

<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Beneficiary of the Golden Cascade'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 8 weirwood, 8 white granite, 48 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Provides 10 crowns to the Imperial Virtue fund each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Also creates the Beneficiary of the Golden Cascade, who receives 20 random herbs, 3 elixir vitae, 3 ossean solutions, 3 philtres of heavenly lore, and 10 crowns each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Requirement:''' Must include all of the responsibilities outlined in the text</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Must be annual appointment by Urizen National Assembly</td></tr>
</table>
</div>
Now that the Golden Cascade is complete, it is providing invaluable support to farms and herb gardens across Zenith boosting the Prosperity of everyone in the territory. However Cassia Silkweaver's statement has reminded everyone of the requirement to remain virtuous and remember that all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it. Countless Urizen citizens have benefitted from the Golden Cascade but precious few of them attend Anvil - making it harder for them to share their Prosperity with those who deserve it.

Dialogos has a proposal for this too. In this case though, he thinks that there is an opportunity for Urizen to benefit from its newfound Prosperity. The aging architect is familiar with arguments of Virtue, but he is more comfortable with more prosaic matters, like economics... and diplomacy. Dialogos points out that Urizen has benefitted from friendship and support of Varushka and further argues that such support is essential for the nation to thrive. His view of the Empire is a somewhat stark idea of a family of ten siblings, each arguing over who will get what from the family estate. In Dialogos' mind, the way for Urizen to grow stronger as a nation is not through words of gratitude but gestures of thanks. After all, Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone...

To that end, Dialogos has spent some considerable time corresponding with scores of citizens across Zenith who own a farm or garden that has benefitted from the Golden Cascade. In each case, he has asked them to consider if they would put aside, permanently, a small portion of that Prosperity, to benefit the nation. Inspired by Cassia's statement, the architect proposes a way to create a bounty that could be used not just to thank the boyars of Varushka - but proactively in the future. His goal is to create someone who is specifically chosen by the Urizen Assembly with the remit to find citizens in other nations and help them - thereby creating friends and allies of Urizen across the Empire.

Such a position would need offices from which to operate, somewhere where the various contributions could be gathered and collated. By good fortune, that just happens to fit with Dialogos' proposal for a counting house in Zenith. If that house were made a little bigger, then it could ''also'' serve as the offices for Dialogos proposed Imperial title, the Beneficiary of the Golden Cascade. It would require the counting house be built with 8 wains of white granite and 8 wains of weirwood and 48 crowns, but it would still only require a season to complete.

The Beneficiary would need to be a national appointment by the Urizen National Assembly and it would need to have very clear responsibilities - to use the harvest of the Golden Cascade to creates friends and allies in other nations by actively seeking out opportunities to help and reward them for the aid they have or might give Urizen in the future. The idea is that they would give the herbs and potions to any Imperial citizen who could benefit from them, and thereby improve the nation's standing in the Empire.

If that happens, and only if that happens, then the position will gain a windfall of herbs and potions each season, a share of the Prosperity provided by the Golden Cascade. If the title does not explicitly include the responsibilities that Dialogos has proposed, then it won't get the wider support, and will only get half of the listed benefits.

==High Benefits==
* '''Virtuous citizens in Reikos would also be willing to share their windfall from the Gardens of Chalcis to serve the nation's interests'''
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Benefactor of High Chalcis'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Sinecure</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 7 weirwood, 7 white granite, 52 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Provides 10 crowns to the Imperial Virtue fund each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Also creates the Benefactor of High Chalcis, who receives 7 of each herb each season </td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Requirement:''' Must include all of the responsibilities outlined in the text</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Must be yearly appointment elected by Highborn National Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Special:''' If this title is created with a Senate motion it could be given the legal ability to use a Senate announcement to redirect all the benefits of the Gardens of High Chalcis to address an [[opportunity]]</td></tr>
</table></div>

Dialogos' suggestion for creating a virtuous position funded by the beneficiaries of the Golden Cascade finds a receptive audience outside Urizen. The [[benefactor|benefactors]] of Highguard have long been committed to the idea of using wealth to invest in projects for the good of the nation and the Empire. The idea of creating a new Imperial title and endowing it with a bounty of herbs appeals, is particularly appealing to those who have benefitted from the [[Gardens of High Chalcis]]. In 381YE the Imperial Senate took the decision to direct the benefits of the Gardens to support the Great Forest Orcs for a year, providing them with [[The_place_you_called_home#The_Bounty_of_Reikos|more than enough herbs for their needs]].

That act has not been repeated since, but the memory of it lingers on in the minds of many. What if the bounty of the Gardens were needed again in the future? Creating a formal arrangement for people to share some of the bounty with an Imperial title given the responsibility to use the herbs for the good of Highguard would enable the nation to invest in their future, but it would also remind everyone of the past success with the Great Forest Orcs. That way, if the [[opportunity]] presented arose for the Gardens to act in the same way in the future, it could be easier to accomplish.

Jemimah of Chalcis Ford suggests that the proposed counting houses might be the best way to achieve this. If Highguard built a slightly larger counting house in Reikos, it could be constructed next to the Gardens of High Chalcis. If it were made a little bigger than originally planned, Jemimah proposes to make it 7 wains of white granite, 7 wains of weirwood and 42 crowns, then it could be large enough to house the offices of a new Imperial title - the Benefactor of High Chalcis. If the Benefactor were given the responsibility to use the bounty of the Gardens to heal the virtuous throughout the Empire, then the people of Reikos would support the title with a bounty of herbs, 7 each of True Vervain, Cerulean Mazzarine, Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort and Bladeroot.

As Jemimah sees it, the role of the apothecary is not just to treat the sick, but to make them healthier and stronger. If the Highborn National Assembly choose the right candidate, they can be charged to use the herbs they are given to seek out the deserving and the virtuous. By healing them, by strengthening the parts of the Empire that are committed to the Way, the Benefactor can help the Empire thrive and become more virtuous. It is an ambitious agenda, to use the bounty of High Chalcis to promote Virtue, but what higher purpose could there be?

Jemimah also suggests that the title be given legal authority over the Gardens so that if another crisis like the ones with the Great Forest Orcs ever arose, then the Benefactor would be in a position to respond to it quickly. Their proposal would give the Benefactor the power to use a Senate Announcement to redirect the output of the Gardens to address a direct need identified in an [[opportunity|civil service briefing]], as happened last time with the Great Forest Orcs. If the Benefactor chose to do that, then neither the benefactor, nor the Herb Gardens of Reikos would gain any benefit from the Gardens for as long as the redirection were in place.

Allowing the Benefactor of High Chalcis to redirect the bounty of the Gardens in this way would mean that no [[senator]] would have to give up their Senate motion to achieve the outcome. It would also place the ability to redirect the benefits of the gardens more directly in the power of those who benefit from the Gardens. Of course no such opportunity might ever present itself - it would not be possible to redirect the bounty of the Gardens unless a specific [[opportunity]] presented itself that explicitly stated that the bounty of the Gardens could help. But making these changes ''now'', would mean that Reikos was prepared to act and act quickly if the need ever arose.
{{SOP|statement=We recognise the vigilance of Jonathan Piper of Cockscroft for raising hue and cry about the threat of hostile heralds across the Marches. We exalt him! |by=Rhubarb Ironwood, Marcher Assembly|vote=Greater Majority (264-0) and Primacy|when=Autumn Equinox 385YE}}
==Small Monuments==
* '''A monument has been proposed in Mitwold to Jonathon Piper of Cockscroft'''
* '''The proposal has led to a wider discussion about the creation of monuments in the Empire'''
During the Autumn Equinox any number of statements of principle have been mooted calling for citizens to be rewarded. One, however, catches particular attention. Jonathan Piper of Cockscroft [[385YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_156|warned the Marches]] of the imminent threat from [[Siakha]]. Supported by the rest of the Marcher Assembly their words were heard loud and clear, and when heralds of the Mother of Wrecks
[[When_Spring_comes#Stormy_Monday_(Mitwold)|started causing trouble]] in [[Mitwold]], people were prepared for it. Forward-thinking like that, say some of the Mitwolders, deserves a bit of recognition. Even if, as a [[The_Marches_groups#Cockscroft_Farm|Cockscroft]], Jonathon is an [[Upwold|Upwolder]]. Even a daft rooster can call out sunrise and sunset, as one cruel Marcher aphorism has it.

Obviously anyone can slap a statue up and call it a day, but for it to have any actual impact it needs to be [[commission|commissioned]]. There's a whole bunch of folks who do things that are worth remembering – that might inspire people in years to come – but aren't about being [[recognition|recognised]] as a [[Paragons and exemplars|paragon or exemplar]]. Not just people either – there's a lot of things you might build a monument for.

A couple of Mitwolders who might have lost family to Siakha have found a nice spot at the old Wayford Wanderers practice ground. A sculptor would need to be found, and a block of white granite, but with a bit of ambition those should be surmountable tasks. Then someone could make a statue of the Cockscroft lad – and at the same time maybe remember the Wayford Wanderers and the thirty or so folk who got eaten by shark heralds. A nice statue that, should the Cockscroft lad keep on the same path, would make a good place to [[consecration|consecrate]] with [[true liao]] one day, maybe.
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Statue of the Cockscroft Lad'''</tr>
<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Edifice</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Location:''' Wayford, Maiden Downs</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 5 white granite, 15 crowns</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Commemorates the hue and cry that warned of Siakha's attack</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Option:''' The commissioner can name a sculptor who will describe the work of art they create</td></tr>
</table></div>
What's being proposed is a [[edifice]]. It would require 5 wains of white granite, and 15 crowns in labour costs to get the statue into position. Whoever raised the commission could name a specific sculptor to immortalise Jonathan Cockscroft and the attack of Siakha. If that sculptor was a player character, they're be able to submit up to fifty words describing the statue they created that would inform the description added to the wiki on the Mitwold territory page.

There's another possibility as well, partly inspired by all this talk of rewarding and recognising people, partly by the [[Watercolours_in_the_rain#What_Are_We_Fighting_For?|recent statements]] of the Pride assembly. The Senate could create an [[Imperial title]] - the ''Mistress of Monuments'' perhaps - whose specific responsibility would be finding folk who deserve a statue, or events that deserve a monument, and building something. Nothing massive – Pride in small things after all. But the kind of thing the Senate doesn't have time for, what with all the castles and colleges of magic it needs to construct. The title would be limited to creating follies, and limited to spending a maximum of 9 wains on any given commission. It'd be appointed through the Imperial Synod – the Assembly of the Way might be a good choice, but the General Assembly or any of the Virtue Assemblies would also be appropriate – and it'd be responsible for recognising people who can provide an inspiration or events that ought not to be forgotten. it could have [[New_Imperial_titles#Tenure|tenure]] if the Senate wished, or it could be created each year, as detailed in the motion that creates it.
<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Mistress of Monuments'''</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Title:''' Imperial position</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Imperial Synod; General Assembly or Virtue Assembly</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Ability to commission an edifice of up to 9 wains in size each season</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' Work with Imperial artists to commemorate inspirational actions and significant events with monuments and statues</td></tr>
<tr><td>'''Necessary Details:''' The title could have tenure, or could be appointed yearly, depending on how the Senate creates it.</td></tr></table></div>
When the proposal is mooted to the Constitutional Court (someone traps Leontes the Scribe against the buffet table at a wedding for nearly an hour), they are of the opinion that the title could be created and as long as its responsibility was finding sculptors, paying some labourers to put a statue into position, and then telling people about it, it wouldn't count against the Senate's limited number of commissions each season. Indeed, the Senate might wish to give them a small stipend - even a few Thrones each season - with which to acquire materials, pay artists, and employ burly folk with their own wheelbarrows.

'''OOC Note:''' The title proposed would in theory be able to build any edifice that used nine wains or fewer. These kinds of follies are not going to change the face of the Empire - they'd be added to existing pages with a few lines of description at most, the nature of which would be guided by the sculptor and the nature of the title holder's announcement. There is nothing legally to stop the title holder from commissioning an edifice that isn't a statue or monument, but the expectation is that if they did so the Synod would step in to remind them of their responsibilities, or the Senate would simply abrogate the title. It's also worth noting that the title as designed does not have the power of [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|concedence]] so wouldn't be able to give anything away.

==OOC Design Notes==
We've made a small game update, so that all the fines that arise from magistrates trials at Anvil will now be collected and passed to the Imperial treasury. We've looked at a few options on how best to dispose of these funds in recent times, and after some trial and error we've decided this is the best outcome. This way the money circulates back into the game, but hopefully in a way that ensures it doesn't just quickly end up back in the pockets of those who paid it.

Having opted to move it to the Senate, that puts the funds cleanly and clearly in the remit of players to decide on what happens to them, (within the normal limits of the checks and balances provided by the Constitution for game balance), so we created this little wind of fortune partly to advertise the fact that it is another option for players to politic over!

<ic>
Eeli stood patiently while the aging magistrate hung his new painting. There were pictures going up all over the Castle of Thrones depicting the new Empress, so naturally the contrarian had paid an artist to paint one of the ''previous'' Empress. It was a rather dour impression, done in the Highborn style, which in this case meant the Imperatrix had a deeply improbable halo of light issuing forth in an otherwise miserably dark canvas. Flattering it was not. "Good, isn't it?" the old man asked over his shoulder.

Eeli was far too experienced to answer that question. "I've come about the enquiry about taxation, Magistrate? The one from Haravgi of Urizen."

"Best Throne we ever had you know? Brilliant mind. Quite brilliant." The old man made an attempt to stand his ground, but when Eeli refused to be drawn he admitted defeat. He turned to face the civil servant with a sour look on his face. "I thought I said to ignore it and hope he went away? Yes, I definitely said that." he continued nodding to himself. "I said to tell him to ask when he gets to Anvil."

"I'm afraid he's not planning to attend Anvil magistrate. And he's sent two more letters since then. We will have to let him know if it's constitutional or not."

"Bloody Urizen trouble-maker... Course it's not bloody constitutional! You pass that money to the Synod and it's taxation!" The querulous magistrate was looking very agitated now.

"I can tell him that easily enough Magistrate" suggested Eeli.

"What?!? You'd have us all murdered in our beds I suppose? I think not..." the old man fixed him with a stare as if attempting to prove this ridiculous non-sequitur made sense by glaring. Eeli ensured his sigh was inaudible and waited. I had a great career ahead of me in Hahnmark he thought to himself.

"If it's not constitutional for the Synod to have it - then the Senate can't have it either can they? And if that's not constitutional then the entire basis for punishments under Imperial law is unconstitutional. Does that sound like a good outcome to you? Right! So clearly that can't be the answer either."

The old man slumped in his chair. He pulled out a slim purple volume from his robes and began to flick through the well-thumbed pages. "Tell him it's fine, that's all the bloody questor cares about." he said at last. "We'll work out why it's fine later."

"Thank you, magistrate" said Eeli closing the door behind him as he smoothly exited the room.
</ic>

388YE Autumn Equinox interlude

2026-08-01T18:56:34Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Depredations of the Fjorknae */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:388YE Autumn]]
<div {{floatleft}}>{{CaptionedImage|file=All Happening in the Square.jpg|align=left|width=600}}</div>
==Overview==
Downtime following the Summer Solstice is now open. It allows players to process their character's downtime choices. Not all resources allow a player to make a choice about how they operate between events, but we've provided information about new opportunities for [[congregation]], [[fleet]], and [[military unit]] owners in particular, as well as a reminder about existing opportunities created at earlier events.

On this page, we've outlined and offered some context for various effects and events. As always, these include quick summaries, mostly out of character, to explain effects such as large-scale [[enchantment|enchantments]] and [[curse|curses]].

In some cases, there may be further developments around the events listed here in the Summer Solstice winds of fortune. They may also be handled with a ''Resolution'' entry on the appropriate Wind, or a note in the ''Other Events'' section of next events Winds of Fortune page.

'''The deadline for Downtime submissions is midnight on Sunday the 9th of August'''
==Choices==
* '''During the Summer Solstice, there were a number of Senate motions, Conclave declarations, Synod judgements, Military Council orders, Sodality resolutions, and elections '''
Each summit the [[Senate]] raises and votes on [[Senate motion|motions]], the [[Conclave]] debates [[declaration|declarations]], the assemblies of the [[Synod]] discuss [[judgement|judgements]], the [[general|generals]] of the [[Military Council]] issue [[Army orders|orders]] to their [[Army|armies]], [[Imperial sodality|Imperial sodalities]] decide on resolutions, and citizens are elected to Imperial titles. You can find details of these many decisions here:
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions|Senate sessions]]
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements|Synod judgements]]
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions|Conclave sessions]]
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Military Council orders|Military Council orders]]
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Sodality resolutions|Sodality resolutions]]
* [[388YE Summer Solstice Imperial elections|Imperial elections]]
The Civil Service is responsible for ensuring that these motions, judgements, declarations, orders, resolutions, and elections are public knowledge. Not everything is widely distributed across the Empire, but any character who attends [[Anvil]] can easily find out details of what went on in the houses of power during the event.

==Imperial Guerdon==
The [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Guerdon|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 remains at '''350 Thrones'''.

This season, the [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]] has [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions#Assign_the_Guerdon|announced]] that shares of the Guerdon will be shared between military units supporting the following armies:

* [[Burning Falcon]] in [[Bregasland]]
* [[Citadel Guard]] in [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]
* [[Eastern Sky]] in [[Mareave]]

No other armies, or actions by military units or fleets, will receive shares of the Guerdon.
<gallery mode=nolines>
File:BurningFalcon Colour.png|[[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Burning_Falcon|Burning Falcon]]
File:CitadelGuard Colour.png|[[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Citadel Guard|Citadel Guard]]
File:EasternSky Colour.png|[[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Military_Council_orders#Eastern Sky|Eastern Sky]]
</gallery>

==Military Units==
* '''Players who control military units can choose from a number of downtime options'''
* '''Not every military unit is eligible to participate in every venture'''
* '''Left to their own devices, a military unit defaults to the ''mercenary work'' option'''
Any player whose character controls a [[military unit]] can choose from several downtime options by logging into the downtime system. They may choose to [[Military_unit#Campaigning|support an army]], [[Military_unit#Guarding|defend a fortification]], or [[Military_unit#Scouting|support a spy network]]. They can also choose one of the many [[Venture|ventures]]. Left to their own devices, a military unit defaults to [[Venture#Mercenary_Work|mercenary work]], guaranteeing an income of money along with a random chance of herbs, more money, mana crystals, ingots or measures.

Players who want to support one of the [[Army|Imperial armies]] can also read the [[Army_orders|orders]] issued by each [[general]] before making their decision. These orders are a matter of public record within the Empire and also available on the '''[[388YE Spring Equinox Military Council orders]]''' page. This new page makes it easier for players to read all the orders before making a decision; previously the only way to do this was to painstakingly click every army in turn. It's also possible for players without military units to see the orders, without waiting for the Winds of War (assuming the orders related to an area that produced a full write-up).

As per the [[Online#You_May_Not_Post_Military_Updates|the guidelines around discussing military matters]], you must not post statements encouraging people where to send their military units and fleets in downtime.
<div {{float}}><quote by="Stürmherra, General of the White Mountain Fire">The Druj have started to remember why they fear the high peaks of Otkodov. Remind them of their weakness and show them the shade of their blood in the summer sun. We shall claim Bonewall and the Great Pit</quote></div>
===Support White Mountain Fire===
* '''Imperial military units can support the White Mountain Fire'''
* '''The Thule army is part of a larger effort to invade the Forest of Ulnak'''
* '''A standard military unit that takes this action will receive 7 mana crystals'''
[[Thule_lore#Dragons|Tathenon the Gyre]] continues to offer mana crystals to Imperial captains in the Forest of Ulnak, though this season it is in support of the White Mountain Fire. A continued invitation has been made, with [[Voice_irresistable#Grim_Faces|the same details as presented two seasons ago]]; any military unit is welcome to support the White Mountain Fire and a standard military unit will be rewarded with 7 [[Game_items#Mana_Crystals|mana crystals]], with an [[Military unit#Upgrades|upgraded]] or [[enchantment|enchanted]] military unit receiving proportionally more.

===Rescue the Great Forest Orcs===
* '''Navarr and Imperial orcs can take an action to rescue the Great Forest Orcs from the Druj'''
* '''Military units contribute their full strength to this raiding action and receive half the returns of ''Raid the Druj'''''
* '''Congregations that take the ''Rescue the Great Forest Orcs'' lecture contribute half their strength and receive no liao, normal votes in the Synod, and remain in the same Virtue Assembly'''
* '''Fleets that take the ''Rescue the Great Forest Orcs'' voyage contribute half their strength and receive half the returns of ''Raid the Druj'''''
* '''All other resources that take the ''Rescue the Great Forest Orcs'' undertaking contribute half their strength and receive half normal production'''
* '''Reduced production does not affect enchantments or great works'''
The [[Druj]] have sent missives to Chief Vallack of the Great Forest Orcs threatening to murder his people if he doesn't collaborate with them. There is a chance, an opportunity, to launch a raid to [[All_I_ask_of_you#Rescue_the_Great_Forest|rescue the orcs of the Great Forest]] from the groves where they toil under the Druj. But it would require at least ''fifteen thousand'' strength to achieve simply thwart ''Nimon Rue'', the [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|Buruk Tepel]] who rules [[Forest_of_Ulnak#Cassad_Ûln|Cassad Ûln]]. To go further, to venture into the [[Salt Flats of Sanath]] and the [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Grove_of_Woe|Grove of Woe]] would require a strength of at least ''forty-five thousand''.

There is also the chance to go further than that, to humiliate the Druj in their own groves... that would require a vast host of more than ''seventy thousand'' strength.

===Scout the Tsirku Scouting Network===
* '''Tsirku is so large and inhospitable that only a single region can be explored each season'''
* '''The venture requires at least fifteen hundred strength to gain any useful information'''
* '''Military units assigned to ''Conceal the Northern Lights'' will reduce the effective strength of this venture'''
* '''Military units from nations other than Wintermark and Varushka suffer a one-rank penalty due to the cold'''
* '''There are no rewards for taking this option'''
The region of [[Warriors' Gate|Warriors Gate]] has been explored! Now, at the behest of [[Imperial Spymaster]], '''Rahmah i Darwisj i Erigo''', the scouts will aim northwards, towards [[Sermersuaq#Sydanjaa|Sydanjaa]] and the region described as "''icy, covered in snow, with vicious-looking chasms''". It doesn't seem that Sydanjaa extends ''into'' this region, but it is one that those walking that way would pass through.

The vast territory of Tsirku, is so inhospitable that it [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Scouts|represents a huge challenge to scouts]]. Rather than exploring the entire territory in one go, the scouting network will explore a single region each season. If the scouts are successful, the Imperial Spymaster will be able to choose where to explore next. Only once the entire territory has been scouted will a map suitable for scrying be created. There are no rewards publicly available for anyone taking this option.

<table>
<tr><th>Strength</th><th>Tsirku Scouting Network Outcome</th></tr>
<tr><td>1500</td><td>An overview of the region including the names of significant features such as lakes, frozen seas, or mountain ranges.</td></tr>
<tr><td>3000</td><td>Details of any significant Jotun or Thule presence in the region, along with any connections to Otkodov, Tromsa, or Skallahn, as well as information about locations with a tie to Agramant or other hostile eternals.</td></tr>
<tr><td>5000</td><td>A thorough overview of the region, showing the locations of any significant outside presences, several points of interest located in the region, and the names and a short overview of the terrain of adjoining regions.</td></tr>
</table>

The Empire has seen that ''[[Whisper Gallery|Masked Courtiers of Secrets]]'' have tried to hire military units to thwart efforts to scout the wastes. Every military unit that takes the venture to '''Conceal the Northern Lights''' will count its military strength ''against'' the total strength of those trying to explore Tsirku.

===Conceal the Northern Lights===
* '''The Whisper Gallery is eager to prevent the secrets of Tsirku from being spoiled'''
* '''Characters that have had contact with the eternal can take this action to reduce the effective strength of efforts to Scout Tsirku'''
* '''Military units from nations other than Wintermark and Varushka suffer a one-rank penalty due to the cold'''
* '''Heralds of the eternal will provide crystal fire and luxury goods to anyone who helps to thwart the efforts to scout the territory'''
The [[Whisper Gallery]] is determined to prevent Imperial scouts from [[Snap_rope_and_pass_foil#Tsirku_is_Secret|destroying the secrets of Tsirku by exposing them to the sterile light of day]]. The ''Court of the Shadowed Oracle'' [[Monarchs_and_outcasts#Tyrannical_Discipline_(Whisper_Gallery)|have made an offer]] to those Steinr poets, offering [[crystal fire]] and luxury goods to anyone who will help them try to thwart the efforts of the scouts by creating false trails, spoiling supplies and otherwise sabotaging the efforts to discover more. Every military unit working to '''Conceal the Northern Lights''' subtracts their military strength from those attempting to scout Tsirku.

Only characters with a military unit who have had contact with the Whisper Gallery can take this action. A starting military unit will receive two pieces of crystal fire and luxury goods worth 72 rings for their help; an upgraded military unit will gain proportionately more.

===Reconquer Therunin===
* '''Navarr can send their military units to support efforts to reconquer Therunin'''
* '''The efforts are led by ''Dochas of the Weeping Glade'' and heralds of Agramant'''
* '''Heralds of Agramant will help military units claim heart's blood as spoils of war from those slain'''
[[The_keys_of_blood#The_Beast_Below_(Agramant)|Dochas of the Weeping Glade]], who claims to take inspiration from Gobaith of Summer's Grove reborn, has managed to form a settlement of survivors in [[Therunin]]. The settlement wishes to take back the nominally Druj-controlled territory with Agramant's aid. Any Navarri can support this action, and as long as at least ten military units take this action, it will also be available next season, and Agramant will do whatever it takes to ensure the settlement survives.

Only Navarri can take this campaigning action. A starting military unit will receive two pawns of [[heart's blood]] as spoils of war; an upgraded military unit will gain proportionately more.

A list of everyone whose military unit - or enchanted resource - supported this action will be widely publicised; they will be committing the crime of [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_of_Position|treason]], which will likely end in execution.

===Swords Against Darkness===
* '''Urizen, League, and Dawnish military units can take a questing action to attack the threats in Spiral'''
* '''If at least two thousand strength is assigned to the action for three seasons over the next year, then the venture will remain'''
* '''A standard military unit that takes this action will receive three mana crystals and two doses of liao'''
After a lot of work persuading some of the wealthier Apulian merchants and key [[arbiter|arbiters]], Naomi has been able to persuade them to back an attempt to [[My_friends_are_my_estate#Swords_Against_Darkness|solve the problem]]. The solution is simple enough, and for once, Naomi's idea requires relatively little upfront investment. If the Empire can muster enough military units to directly attack the threats in Spiral, then the inhabitants of the territory would be able to get on top of the problem. If that could be achieved, it would only need a little support on an ongoing basis to keep the threats under control. Naomi likens it to weeding an overgrown garden - it requires a lot more effort to get the weeds under control than it does to keep it that way.

With the backing of wealthy patrons, the venture would provide 3 mana crystals and two liao to any standard military unit taking part. A military unit with at least 200 effective strength (from upgrades or rituals) would receive a [[Circlet of Falling Snow]] as part of their rewards. The potential returns aren't great - but of course the Senate could always apply the Guerdon to the expedition.

The venture lasts for a year - but if at least 2000 strength of military units undertakes the venture on three seasons out of the four, then the venture will remain available for the foreseeable future. If that happens, then the taxation of the territory would permanently increase by 6 thrones a season, and the current penalty to military units from the {{Black Plateau}} would be permanently removed.

The efforts of Urizen, League, and Dawnish military units were effective last season; at least one more season of attacking the threats in Spiral will see the horrors of the {{Black Plateau}} beaten back.

==Fleets==
* '''Players who control fleets can choose from several downtime options'''
* '''Not every fleet is eligible to participate in every voyage'''
* '''Left to their own devices, a fleet defaults to the ''maritime escort'' option'''
Any player whose character controls a [[fleet]] can choose from several downtime options by logging into the downtime system. They may choose to [[Fleet#Trading|trade]] with a [[Foreign_ports|foreign port]], engage in [[Fleet#Raiding|raiding]] barbarians, [[Fleet#Questing|quest]] in search of glory or renown, [[Fleet#Scouting|scout]] either to support a [[smugglers cove]] or as part of another stealthy option, or commit to [[Fleet#Guarding|guarding]] a convoy of other ships.

Left to their own devices, a fleet defaults to [[Voyage#Maritime_Escort|maritime escort]], guaranteeing an income of money along with a random chance of herbs, more money, mana crystals, ingots or measures.
{{CaptionedImage|file=FjorknaeSymbol.png|align=right|width=200}}
===Depredations of the Fjorknae===
* '''Wintermark fleets suffer a two-rank penalty to the ''Escort the Fisherfolk of Westerhal'' voyage'''
* '''Marcher fleets suffer a two-rank penalty to the ''Raid Kalsea's Coastline'' voyage'''
* '''Fleets from both nations suffer a two-rank penalty to trade with Caitun'''
The [[Fjorknae]] have been [[Pride_in_the_Marches#Worrisome_Gullet|roused]], and their ships are active in the Gullet. At the moment, the presence of these ships is focused in the Gullet and the northern Sea of Snow - Marcher and Wintermark ships that sail fast and don't stop for anything are able to outrun the raiders.

===Trade Summary===
* '''Imperial fleets can trade with ports in Axos, the Commonwealth, Faraden, the Iron Confederacy, the Sarcophan Delves, and the Sumaah Republic'''
* '''Production depends on the port chosen, and can be increased by upgrades and enchantments'''
Imperial fleets can [[Fleet#Trading|trade]] with a number of foreign nations who have chosen to open some of their ports to visitors from the Empire. The assumption is that a ship trading with a foreign nation makes enough from selling their cargo to cover their running costs, crew salaries and the like, but that there is enough profit to provide the character who owns the fleet with valuable goods of interest to the folk who attend [[Anvil]]. What goods are received for visiting a port is changeable, and heavily influenced by Imperial diplomacy.
* '''Axos:''' The ports of the '''[[Foreign_ports#Towers_of_Kantor|Towers of Kantor]]''' and '''[[Foreign_ports#Axos|Chambers of Issyk]]''' welcome Imperial fleets. Navarr fleets receive a frosty reception due to the association with the ''Scions of Cavan'' and suffer a two-rank penalty; more information can be found in the '''[[Wise_and_measured#Treason_and_the_Vallorn|Wise and measured]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Commonwealth:''' The ports of '''[[Foreign_ports#Leerdam|Leerdam]]''' and '''[[Foreign_ports#Volkavaar|Volkavaar]]''', as well as the new port of '''[[Foreign_ports#Murolosch|Murolosch]]''' welcome Imperial traders. Imperial fleets suffer a one-rank penalty with both ports whilst the Commonwealth remains wary of the Empire. More information can be found in the '''[[Weaving_tangled_nets#Future_Good?|Weaving tangled nets]]''' wind of fortune
* '''Faraden:''' The port of '''[[Foreign_ports#Caitun|Caitun]]''' welcomes Imperial fleets. Fleets from the Marches and Wintermark benefit from a one-rank bonus due to close proximity.
* '''Iron Confederacy:''' The port of '''[[Foreign_ports#Robec|Robec]]''' is available for Imperial fleets.
* '''Sarcophan Delves:''' The usual ports of '''[[Foreign_ports#Sarcophan|Sarcophan]]''' and '''[[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]]''' welcome Imperial traders.
* '''Sumaah Republic:''' The port of '''[[Foreign_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]]''' welcomes Imperial traders.
* '''Zemelslo:''' The port of '''[[My_passions_from_a_common_spring#Free_Ports_And_Free_People|Radosmo]]''' has been closed to Imperial fleets following an embargo announced by the [[Imperial Consul]]

==Congregations==
<div style="float:right; width: 125px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly General.png|align=right}}</div>
* '''In addition to the standard preaching options taken by owners of congregations, special ''lectures'' may be available'''
During downtime, the owner of a [[congregation]] can choose to take a [[Congregation#Downtime_Options|preaching]] action. Normally, these actions are used to preach one of the Imperial virtues, or the general teachings of [[the Way]], allowing a Synod member to change which of the virtue assemblies they belong to.

After the Summer Solstice, there are four lectures available.

===Pride of Temeschwar===
<div style="float:right; width: 125px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_League.png|align=right}}{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_Pride.png|align=right}}</div>
* '''Any Temeschwari with a congregation can choose to preach Pride in recognition of their great city'''
* '''A standard congregation that takes the ''Preach Pride - Pride of Temeschwar'' action will receive no liao, but 12 votes in the Synod'''
* '''A congregation that takes this action will be in the Pride Assembly at the next summit'''
* '''This lecture is availble until the start of the Winter Solstice 388YE'''
Virtue's Respite has been remade! The [[Bloody_Custodian_of_Pride#Bloody_Massive_Pride_of_Temeschwar|Bloody Massive Pride of Temeschwar]] stands triumphant near one of the two river gates. Now is the time for all Proud citizens of Temeschwar to extol the greatness of their fine city. Temeschwar has a long and storied past, and the bishops and other leaders of congregations are encouraged to employ their oratory in speaking on its history.

===Courage in Convalescence===
<div style="float:right; width: 125px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Courage.png|align=right}}</div>
* '''Anyone with a congregation can choose to preach Courage and seek out stories from those who have thrown off the yoke of the Druj'''
* '''A standard congregation that takes the ''Preach Courage - Courage in Convalescence'' action will receive no liao, and 10 votes in the Synod'''
* '''A congregation that takes this action will be in the Courage Assembly at the next summit'''
* '''This lecture is only available after the Summer Solstice 388YE'''
When it comes to recovering from living under the malice of miasma pillars, it is the people like the Sandfishers, the Yerende, or the Ketsov who would be best able to testify on what it is like to learn how to live without the crushing weight of the Druj yoke on their shoulders.

Priests who partake will compile a summary of various accounts in time for the Autumn Equinox (and become members of the Courage Assembly if they are not already). This report will not contain any particular action points, commissions or actions that the machinery of state might employ to dispel fear, but will instead help priests understand the dark scars in the hearts of those who suffered the cruelty of the Buruk Tepel. The hope is that it will help make them more able to provide pastoral support to those they hope to liberate.

===Discuss Prosperity with the Adepts of Tsark===
<div style="float:right; width: 125px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Urizen.png|align=right}}{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Prosperity.png|align=right}}</div>
* '''Any Urizen with a congregation can choose to preach Prosperity and discuss the virtue with Adepts of Tsark'''
* '''A standard congregation that takes the ''Preach Prosperity - Discuss Prosperity with the Adepts of Tsark'' action will receive no liao, one dose of Zaboravi, and 10 votes in the Synod'''
* '''A congregation that takes this action will be in the Prosperity Assembly at the next summit'''
* '''This lecture is only available after the Summer Solstice 388YE'''
Camilla is the primary representative from Tsark to the Empire on the subject of Prosperity. Camilla's parents were Urizeni who found a way to Tsark a generation ago and decided to stay, so she is a little familiar with the Empire and the Way as a result. Camilla says that she intends to stay a little while at the Garden of the Perfect World. There are other adepts and sages who intend to visit in the season that follows: she has been asked to prepare the way. The Council of Sages believes, from what it understands of Prosperity, that the Virtue may be one that fits in the perfect world that the Tsarkoi seek - in accordance with their esoteric beliefs - to bring about.

Camilla and the other adepts chosen for this initiative would be delighted to meet with Urizen who wish to share their perspective on Prosperity. Those who make the journey to Occursion - either by themselves or with their whole congregation - will meet with Adept Camilla and her fellows, to discuss Prosperity and demonstrate the auras associated with it.

===Foretell the Coming of the Second Age of Virtue===
<div style="float:right; width: 125px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Labyrinth.jpg|align=right}}</div>
* '''Anyone with a congregation can choose to preach the Way by encouraging pilgrims to support the Grand Inspiration of the Way'''
* '''A congregation that takes the ''Foretell the Coming of the Second Age of Virtue'' action will receive the normal amount of liao and Synod votes'''
* '''Congregations taking this action will contribute at least seven rings to the labour costs of the Grand Inspiration of the Way'''
* '''A congregation that takes this action will be in the Way Assembly at the next summit'''
* '''This lecture is available until the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE'''
Following on from the [[Lay the foundations|highest calling]] of the Highborn Assembly, the congregations of the Empire can preach the good news of the Second Age of Virtue. The more congregations that took part each season, the greater the benefits would be. The individual effects would be tiny, but a thousand raindrops can quickly turn into a flood. Virtuous citizens would make a pilgrimage to [[Bastion]], to volunteer to help with the work of completing the Grand Inspiration, working to raise the monument to the heavens - doing their part to support the Grand Inspiration and ushering in a new era. They may not be builders, but they believe in the dream to be given form. Children, the elderly, all united by faith to add even a single brick and know they were part of this momentous occasion in the history of mortal ascension.

==Arcane Projections==
* '''Arcane projections must be submitted before the close of downtime'''
* '''It is not possible to submit arcane projections that create personal curses'''
The deadline for submitting an [[arcane projection]] is now the close of downtime. This is a significantly shorter window than previously. We've made this change to improve our ability to process arcane projections - an earlier deadline means that the game team have more time to consider each arcane projection, which will allow us to be more detailed and consistent in our responses.

As detailed in the '''[[The_moth_for_the_star#A_Drowning_Sailor|The moth for the star]]''' wind of fortune, it is not currently possible to create an arcane projection that involves a [[curse]] directed at a character.

===Colleges and Forges===
* '''We've changed the email address for college of magic and runeforge submissions'''
It is important for characters responsible for a [[college of magic]] or [[runeforge]] to remember that the deadline for submitting rituals for codification, or instructions to the runeforge, is also the point that downtime closes. You ''must'' use let us know how you plan to use your college or forge by this point, otherwise it will not be possible to submit anything and the season will be lost.

The e-mail address to which such instructions should be sent is now {{plot}} rather than rules. The rules decisions about an arcane projection that is being codified, or a new item, have already been made, and it is the plot team who deal with the creation of ritual texts, unique items, or schema.

===Artefacts===
* '''If you are creating an artefact you will need to email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk with the requested name and roleplaying effect'''
Artisans can use [[ilium]] to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful [[roleplaying effects]] over anyone bonded to them.

Anyone wanting to create an artefact should email {{plot}} before downtime closes with their CID and what magic item they want to be an artefact. They should also include what name they want the artefact to have and the desired roleplaying effect. With roleplaying effects, it is best to avoid anything with religious themes; that is the purview of the [[hallow]] ceremony. It is best to avoid naming specific concepts: a roleplaying effect of "''You feel an urge to protect Urizen lore''" would be returned as "''You feel an urge to preserve the magical secrets of your people''". It can be interpreted as the same for someone in [[Urizen]], but it would encourage someone in [[Wintermark]] to protect [[Runesmith's Law]], or a magician-prince of [[Jarm]] to protect their own collection of ritual texts.

As with [[hallow#Effects|hallow]], comedic names or names which are ''obviously'' taken from existing works of fiction are not appropriate for item names in Empire and will be rejected when identified.

==Miscellaneous Effects==
* '''After every event there will be a range of special effects that have an impact on downtime'''
* '''Each effect is automatically applied to the appropriate personal resources; this provides details of what has caused each effect'''
Every season sees large-scale effects impact individuals and nations. Some arise as the result of [[Judgement|Synod judgements]], [[Senate motion|Senate motions]] or [[Declaration|Conclave declarations]]. Others are the results of winds of fortune or war, or magical effects such as [[enchantment|enchantments]] or [[curse|curses]]. Each such effect is mentioned in your downtime if it affects your personal resource, along with a brief summary of what is going on. This list provides more detail, and is also useful for knowing what is going on in the wider Empire.

===Rivers Run Clear (Mareave)===
* '''Rivers of Life has been cast on Mareave'''
* '''As well as reducing casualties to armies in the territory, the magic infuses all water there with life-giving Spring power'''
The Imperial territory of [[Mareave]] has had [[Rivers of Life]] woven over it. This potent magic preserves life, healing all save the most grievous wounds overnight and infusing water across the territory with restorative powers. As well as the typical effect of reducing losses to any [[Army|armies]] fighting in the territory, the magic has other, more narrative effects. Wounds heal, animals and plants are healthy and fertile, and people find it easier to start or expand their families.

===Echoes and Citadels===
* '''Dripping Echoes of the Fen has been cast on one region'''
* '''Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae has been cast on three regions'''
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:800px;"}
|-
! Ritual !! Region !! Coven
|-
| [[Dripping Echoes of the Fen]] || West Marsh, [[Kallavesa]] || Sussivari Frost Coven
|-
| [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]] || Clisearn, [[Mareave]] || Phoenix Rising
|-
| [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]] || Nadir, [[Mareave]] || Phoenix Rising
|-
| [[Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae]] || Icarion, [[Mareave]] || Phoenix Rising
|-
|}

===Shadows in the Mist (Ossium)===
* '''Ossium has been enchanted with a magnitude 80 arcane projection of the Night realm'''
During the Summer Solstice, an [[arcane projection]] was performed targeting the Varushkan territory of [[Ossium]]. Wooded areas throughout the territory, especially areas of wilderness, become harder to navigate. Travellers easily find themselves becoming lost or turned around even in familiar woodlands. Odd creatures may be spotted or encountered in these woods. Many inhabitants of the territory will experience vivid dreams of dark forests, filled with strange foliage and dream-like creatures that seem to shift in size, shape and colour.

While the enchantment persists, encounters with the Night realm will become more common. People are more likely to encounter Night regio or find existing Night regio have increased in potency. Heralds of Night eternals and the eternals of Night themselves will become more active following the performance of this ritual, and more interested in the activities of citizens living in that territory. There is a chance that the territory could be permanently altered in some subtle way, more closely aligning it with Night magic.

===Hammers of Fury (Upwold)===
<div style="float:right; width: 150px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Estavus001a.png|align=tight|title=The City of Fire and Stone throngs with smiths and smelters}}</div>
* '''Upwold has been enchanted with the ''Hammers of Fury'''''
* '''This speeds the mustering of a new Imperial army'''
* '''It also reduces the ingots produced by each mine in the territory by 2, but grants a pouch of warm ashes in their place'''
Over the coming months, the power of the [[Realm#Autumn|Autumn realm]] is focused on the [[The Marches|Marcher]] [[territory]] of [[Upwold]]. The ''Cabal Lyktan'' coven has invoked the ''[[Hammers of Fury]]'' to speed the mustering of a new [[army]] in the territory. This magical service provided by the [[Estavus|City of Fire and Stone]] [[enchantment|enchants]] the forges, foundries, and smithies throughout the territory, infusing them with the heat of Shikal's forges to help them forge arms and armour with supernatural speed. It also sends traders from the Fire Mountain to acquire more resources, meaning that [[mine|mines]] throughout the territory will see their production of metals reduced by two ingots, but in their place the mine owners each gain one pawn of [[Vis#Warm Ashes|warm ashes]] - Autumn [[vis]].

===Heron's Fortune (The Barrens)===
* '''Dawnguard has been enchanted with a magnitude 80 arcane projection of the Autumn realm'''
During the Summer Solstice, an [[arcane projection]] was performed targeting Dawnguard in the Dawnish territory of [[the Barrens]]. The town of Drycastle and the region surrounding it will draw traders and wanderers.

While the enchantment persists, encounters with the Autumn realm will become more common. People are more likely to encounter Autumn regio or find existing Autumn regio have increased in potency. Heralds of Autumn eternals will become more active following the performance of this ritual, and more interested in the activities of citizens living in the region.

===Aegis of the Architect (Sarangrave)===
* '''Sarangrave has been enchanted with Hand of the Dhomiro'''
Over the coming season, those attempting to flee or traverse the territory may find themselves subtly guided towards the best path to avoid enemy patrols, their cart running unusually smooth and shrugging off potholes that might otherwise have broken axles or thrown wheels. Meanwhile, the enemy patrols may find their luck quite the opposite, or themselves arriving just too late to catch a merchant. If a wagon, business or home is being ransacked the ritual won’t stop the most obvious or largest valuables being stolen, but might subtly protect smaller valuables, purses of coin, jewellery or other trinkets from being taken.

===Heart of the Land Regrown (Sermersuaq and Mitwold)===
*'''Mitwold and Sermersuaq have been enchanted with Regrow the Land's Heart'''
Over the next season, soft rains fall on the territory, and new life flourishes. The magic particularly focuses on areas scarred by war or natural disaster, causing new plants to grow wildly. It primarily affects the landscape, but people living in the territories might find it easier to let go of pain caused by war or calamity. As new plants grow, old scars fade. While the enchantment is in place, animals and people find it easier to conceive, and plants grow more healthily. Children born or conceived in Mitwold or Sermersuaq this season are more likely to express the [[briar]] lineage.

===Stirring the Pot===
* '''Marchers with a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest can change to a farm of equivalent level in the same territory with no cost'''
* '''Marchers can upgrade their farm for one less weirwood (to a minimum of one) until the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE'''
* '''Leaguers with a military unit, fleet, herb garden, mine or forest can change to a business of equivalent level in the same territory with no cost'''
* '''Leaguers can upgrade their business for one less white granite (to a minimum of one) until the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE'''
During the Winter Solstice 387YE, two mandates were enacted; one in the Marcher Assembly by '''Richard Conscience''' and one in the League Assembly by '''Frideswide Adelaar van Holberg'''. These mandates encourage the people in their respective nations to [[The circle game|support efforts]] to embrace their national traditions and support the Imperial economy. They also create a groundswell of support for League and Marchers looking to improve their resources.

==Magical Lore==
* '''Every summit it is possible that new rituals, magic items, or potions may become available to Imperial citizens'''
* '''Some of these options are only available to characters from certain nations, such as those entered into Urizen Lore or Runesmith's Law'''
During the Summer Solstice, one ritual was added to Urizen lore, and two rituals was put forward for inclusion in Imperial Lore:
* [[Discern the Marked Allegiance]] was [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Imperial_Lore:_Discern_the_Marked_Allegiance|raised]] by '''Syl''' the [[Dean of the Lyceum]] and funded by '''Tiberius Stormspire Cascade'''
* ''Herthfire's Hospitality'' was [[388YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions#Imperial_Lore:_Herthfire's_Hospitality|raised]] by '''Lord Milton de Vere''', on behalf of the [[Rod and Shield]] and is awaiting funding

* [[Heaven's Spear Sunders the Mountain]] was added to [[Urizen lore]]

On the nature of fear

2026-08-01T18:47:31Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Malign Not False */

[[Category:Religion]] [[Category:The Empire]] [[Category:Auras]]
<div style="float:left; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Druj6.jpg|title=The Druj are the acknowledged masters of wielding fear as a weapon.|align=left|width=200}}</div>
==Overview==
In Summer 387YE, the [[Synod]] were presented with [[opportunity|opportunities]] to find out more about the [[malign spiritual presences]]. The [[Vigilance|Vigilant]] [[sect]] of the [[Silent_Bell_(Sodality)|Silent Bell]] were [[387YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_195|tasked]] by Lady Laudine du Lac with spying on the [[orc|orcs]] of [[the Mallum]] to see what could be found out about the "false virtue" of [[Know_your_enemy#Fear/Dread|Fear]] or dread.

The [[Druj]] are the undisputed masters of fear, using their [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|miasma pillars]] to spread an [[Druj miasma|insidious atmosphere]] across the lands they claim. This "miasma" cows their subject septs and breaks their will to resist. Infiltrating Druj lands is extraordinarily difficult and dangerous. The human members of the sodality found it particularly difficult, but even the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]] among them found the mission difficult and dangerous. The cost of securing this information was brutal. Despite all their caution, many members who undertook the trip to the Mallum did not make it back alive.

The summary of the Silent Bell discoveries was relayed to the [[Cardinal of Vigilance]] at the Spring Equinox 388YE; later than expected but given the price paid by many Vigilant spies, perhaps understandably so. The report is presented here as it was delivered to the [[Synod]].
==Precis==
Cardinal, I apologise that this report is long overdue. The Silent Bell have done as asked and penetrated the Druj lands to discover everything we can learn of the malign spiritual presence of fear. The cost has been high, more than two dozen of my fellow vigilants have still not returned and I believe we must accept now that they never will. Worse, some of those who did return will never serve the Silent Bell again. Their strength of will has been shattered by what they saw and experienced and it is beyond our ability to heal their spirit. Investigating the moral turpitude of the Druj has left them wracked in mind and spirit.

By the time of the next summit we will be ready to return to duty, but I must warn you that another mission this deadly would deplete our numbers to the point where we could not continue to act. That is a price that may be worth paying if it helps us understand the tools of our enemies. I hope that the information we have gathered will be worth the lives it cost.
==Fear and Dread==
The [[malign spiritual presences|malign spiritual presence]] of Fear is rare in the Empire, but ubiquitous in the areas of the Mallum still under the control of the Druj. Sustained and enhanced by great pillars, rather than a localised [[aura]] of the kind [[consecration|created]] in the Empire by priests using [[liao]], a vast aura of fear commonly referred to as the [[Druj miasma]] blankets their lands.

==Spontaneous==
It is possible that there is a false virtue of Fear that would allow a human dedicant to use liao to create auras of fear. It is hard to prove a negative, as a technicality, so we cannot completely foreclose the chance that such a thing might be possible. However the Druj are masters of fear, they have spent hundreds of years studying this malign aura, they know more about it than any the people in the world and there is no evidence that they have ''ever'' been able to dedicate a human to fear so that they could employ liao to create such auras.

It appears that the Druj have a surprisingly good understanding of the abilities of Imperial priests to create auras. They understand that followers of [[the Way]] who are [[dedication|dedicated]] to a virtue (true or false) can learn how to create an aura using liao. They have tried for centuries to learn those skills and to find ways to copy them and have never succeeded. They have forced captured Imperial citizens to create auras for them - but they have never managed to force a prisoner to create an aura of fear using liao. Spontaneous dedications are exceptionally rare, but they are not unknown. The few times it has occurred are usually associated with moments where a person's actions were intensely virtuous. If it was possible for someone to be dedicated to fear, the Druj would have found a way to make that happen.

The Druj employ a much more crude and direct route to create auras of fear. Spontaneous dedications are very rare, but [[Aura#Spontaneous_Auras|spontaneous auras]] on [[Aura#Personal_Aura|people]] and [[Aura#Item_Aura|items]] are much more common. The conditions are the horrifying mirror of when a person's actions are intensely Virtuous. The Druj intentionally take advantage of this phenomena by employing the most horrific torture imaginable to try to make people afraid. They brutalise and terrify their victims, to try to force them to manifest a spontaneous aura of fear. It is clear they do not go to such enormous efforts simply because they are cruel and wicked, but because they have no other way to make fear auras arise.

==Malign Not False==
The malign aura of Fear is fundamentally different to the virtues in another crucial way. Almost all the auras of the virtues are intimately tied to the will to act in some way. For example, those affected by the [[Auras_of_Pride#The_Experience_of_Pride|Experience of Pride]] describe an urge to exemplify the quality they felt most [[Pride|Proud]] of when they were anointed. They feel driven to act in ways that will embody their Pride. Every aura is different of course, but in this one respect they are surprisingly similar. Every [[hallow]], every [[anointing]], seems to urge those under the effects to act. The auras produced by consecrations are much more contemplative, but even they seem to produce the conditions needed to drive the will to act.

Auras of fear do '''not''' drive the will to act in this way. What is notable is that these auras generally have the ''opposite'' effect. They ''sap'' the will to act. The most famous aura of fear, the one created by the [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|Druj miasma pillars]], is the perfect example of this. If a citizen isn't spiritually strong enough to overcome the aura of fear, then it saps their will act, leaving them [[Calls#WEAKNESS|weakened]]. Those who succumb to the effects are fundamentally robbed of the will to act by the aura.

The miasma blankets all the Druj lands, but there are accounts of much more localised auras of fear being encountered. These seem to have been deliberately created to function like a ward, preventing someone from entering the area. The aura of fear is so overpowering that someone who lacks the strength to overcome it is so frightened that they simply cannot muster the will to enter the area at all. They may want to enter the location but without a source of spiritual strength to draw on they cannot find it in themselves to do so.

This result is in stark contrast to the auras created by the Imperial virtues all of which motivate a person to take action. [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[wayfarer|wayfarers]] have always maintained that ''"Only actions are virtuous"'', but it is perhaps not untrue to say that "virtues are only actions". The virtues always drive you to take action - they always urge you on, they drive, they motivate, they give you the impetus to act. Fear fundamentally does not do that, at best it might motivate a person to flee, but even this action tends to be limited in scope. Fear robs a person of the will to act, it is never uplifting.

Interestingly, this is not true of all malign spiritual auras. It is possible for humans and orcs to be dedicated to false virtues such as [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Anarchy|Anarchy]] and [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Hate|Hate]], it is possible to use liao to create auras of these false virtues, and crucially those auras ''do'' motivate those who experience them to take action. Such actions routinely bring citizens into conflict with the virtues of the Way and the laws of the Empire, but what can't be denied is that those who succumb to the lures of the false virtues are still driven to act by them.

Fear is radically different to the false virtues in a way that reflects the fundamental make-up of the mortal soul (while orcs cannot use liao, both orcs and humans are affected by auras in the same way). Fear might rightly be thought of as the ''absence'' of virtue. It works to undermine all virtues, both so-called "false virtues" and the seven virtues of the Way. The deeper truth is that Druj society is orchestrated and led ''not to spread fear'', but to try to remove all spiritual virtue from the world.

There may be other malign spiritual auras which work in a way that is similar to fear. There are stories and tales of dread which appear to be very similar to fear - it could well be the same malign presence. There is also talk of auras which induce despair which act in the same way - in fundamental opposition to the virtues. Whether despair is just another name for fear or is somehow distinct is impossible to know. It is more than possible that fear, dread, and despair are all simply names for the same malign antithesis of virtue.

==Black Lotus==
How the Druj make miasma pillars remains a closely guarded secret of the buruk tepel, the shadowy apothecarions who rule Druj society with an iron grip. It has long been known that it relies on the arts of the apothecary, those they torture are force-fed a toxic brew of hallucinogenic potions designed to amplify their fears. People who have survived the process describe seeing horrific visions of their deepest fears.

What is less well known is that the process to create the pillars themselves makes use of Black Lotus. How that process happens is known only to the [[Druj_lore#Buruk_Tepel|buruk tepel]] and their most trusted tepel, but it definitely requires the presence of a buruk tepel employing a dose of [[Regarding_Black_Lotus|black lotus]] in the presence of those who are being made to experience fear. The herb appears to be sufficiently powerful that a single dose allows a buruk tepel to create several pillars, but the reports from those who have suffered this terrible fate or witnessed it all agree. Every ceremony concludes with a buruk tepel employing some rare substance that the Druj clearly treat as unbelievably precious from the way it is locked and guarded. Given what we know of the Druj, this must be the precious Black Lotus.

Black Lotus remains elusive and incredibly rare - even in Druj lands. This may explain why it is so difficult for the Druj to replace miasma pillars when they are destroyed by the Empire, it may also explain why they never created miasma pillars in the Barrens. The sheer size of the territory may simply have rendered it too expensive. It is not clear what role Black Lotus plays in the process. It may be that the herb actively encourages the creation of auras of fear - or it may be that it works to fix those auras in place in some way. The Empire would need to know more about Black Lotus to be able to determine that.

It is worth noting that the Druj appear to actively target virtuous citizens for their corrupt rites to create the miasma pillars and other auras of fear. They seem to believe that the more virtuous a person is, the more intense an aura of fear they can produce when they are broken. It is difficult to know if there is any truth in these beliefs - what is clear is that the Druj believe it to be true. There could be a form of logic to it - the more spiritual a person is, the harder they may be to break, but in theory, the further they could fall. Regardless of the truth of the matter, this is clearly why the Druj deliberately target Imperial citizens they believe are virtuous. Such individuals are prized by the Druj as victims for their blasphemous rites that create miasma pillars and [[Druj_lore#Tortured_souls|tormented souls]].

==Utility==
The Druj employ fear to cement their control of their subjects. Their lands are bathed in an unrelenting aura of fear that constantly saps the will of those who live there. It is not impossible to resist that fear, the [[Sarangrave#Nesustak Forest|Nesustak rebels]] demonstrate that given sufficient hope, orcs and humans can overcome the effects and rebel. But the Sandfishers are a better example of the effects of living in constant fear. Forced to survive in a state of continual dread they were systematically robbed of their will to fight back. It is sometimes surprising that groups like the [[Ossium#Ketsov|Ketsov]] are prepared to collaborate with the Druj until you consider what the alternatives are for people who must endure a constant fear that gnaws at their will.

It has long been believed that the Druj themselves are immune to the effects of the miasma pillar, because it is clear that their soldiers are able to fight with full effectiveness while under the effects. However this apparent resistance is nothing more than than an extension of the Druj tyranny - the Druj are not immune to the miasma pillars - rather the buruk tepel pick and choose who to empower to resist it.

The tepel carry herbs that they mix with the army's food to give them the strength they need to resist the fear when fighting. [[Arkad#Vikari|Vikari]] and other leaders of the Druj have more powerful potions that enable them to shrug off the effects completely. Presumably the tepel and the buruk tepel are even better provided for. But the mass of Druj, those who don't serve in the armies and most especially anyone who tried to oppose the rule of the buruk tepel would have no access to such potions.

In summary, the buruk tepel of the Druj employ what is likely to be one of the most valuable resources in the world - as expensive as [[liao#True Liao|true liao]] if not more so - and expend it to create the miasma. They force their own people, and everyone they have conquered, to live in a constant stead of dread designed to sap their will and render them helpless. They impoverish and immiserate their own people to solidify their iron-rule.
==Summary==
As an addendum to publication, the [[Historical_research#The_Department_of_Historical_Research|Imperial Archivist]] appends a brief summary of the finding of the Silent Bell. Fear is a malign spiritual force distinct from the seven virtues and the so-called false virtues, and is inimical to them all. Rather than encouraging people to actively embrace action, fear stifles the ability to do anything. It does not seem to be possible for humans to become [[dedication|dedicated]] to this force, but it is possible for spontaneous auras to arise that cause mortals to become fearful, suffer from dread, or give in to despair.
==Further Reading==
* [[Know_your_enemy#War_Within_a_Breath|Know your enemy]] - 387YE Summer wind of fortune presenting options to learn more about malign spiritual presences

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:31:50Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Hongerigespin and Ungholt */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathan'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathan'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathan", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathan'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
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After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''[[Polyptoton|Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail]]'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
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After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't know, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to take on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their body behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of his three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorising Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:27:22Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Hongerigespin and Ungholt */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathan'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathan'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathan", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathan'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Siakha002.png|caption=The Maw of Stone is a common name in the Delves for the destructive eternal of Spring the Empire calls Siakha.|align=right|width=275}}</div>
After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''[[Polyptoton|Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail]]'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=KhobelTavah.jpg|caption=Khobel and Tavah are the worst fear of sailors and those they leave behind. They are the drowned and the sea that drowns.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't know, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to take on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their body behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of his three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:22:34Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Kobhel Tava and More */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
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The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathan'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathan'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathan", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathan'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
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After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''[[Polyptoton|Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail]]'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
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After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't know, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to take on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their body behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of this three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:22:05Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Kobhel Tava and More */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathan'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathan'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathan", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathan'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Siakha002.png|caption=The Maw of Stone is a common name in the Delves for the destructive eternal of Spring the Empire calls Siakha.|align=right|width=275}}</div>
After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''[[Polyptoton|Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail]]'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=KhobelTavah.jpg|caption=Khobel and Tavah are the worst fear of sailors and those they leave behind. They are the drowned and the sea that drowns.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't know, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to talk on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their body behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of this three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:06:31Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Maw of Stone */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathon'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathon'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathon", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathon'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Siakha002.png|caption=The Maw of Stone is a common name in the Delves for the destructive eternal of Spring the Empire calls Siakha.|align=right|width=275}}</div>
After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=KhobelTavah.jpg|caption=Khobel and Tavah are the worst fear of sailors and those they leave behind. They are the drowned and the sea that drowns.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't now, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to talk on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their bodies behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of this three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T12:00:56Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Sailor on the Skerries */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathon'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathon'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathon", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathon'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand one's experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscape's Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Siakha002.png|caption=The Maw of Stone is a common name in the Delves for the destructive eternal of Spring the Empire calls Siakha.|align=right|width=275}}</div>
After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=KhobelTavah.jpg|caption=Khobel and Tavah are the worst fear of sailors and those they leave behind. They are the drowned and the sea that drowns.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quartet of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't now, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to talk on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their bodies behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of this three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Eternals of the sea

2026-08-01T11:51:02Z

GuiltyConscience: /* Sailor on the Skerries */

[[Category:Eternals]][[Category:History]]
==Overview==
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear:left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Andaman Islands at sunset.jpg|align=left|caption=The magicians of the Sarcophan Delves, as a sea-faring folk, commonly deal with eternals that share their interests.|width=400}}</div>
Following an [[All_the_night-tide#Under_the_Waves|arrangement]] brokered with the [[Sarcophan Delves]], the [[Minister of Historical Research]] Watt Lambrook of [[the Marches]] [[387YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Research_Eternals_of_the_Sea|commissioned]] the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] to send a scholar to the Delves to learn what their experts knew about [[eternal|eternals]] specifically associated with the sea. [[Historical research#Snowstorm Henk|Snowstorm Henk]] boarded a vessel at [[Necropolis#Hedrossan|Crown's Quay]] and spent the better part of nine months as a guest of the scholars and magicians of the Delves. Their report was eventually provided to the Minister at the Summer Solstice 388YE - overdue but at least thickly detailed. Originally intended to uncover information about [[Khobel Tavah]], the remit expanded significantly while Henk was in the Delves.

It coincidentally arrived at the same time that the Imperial prognosticator [[Appraisal#Lisane_de_Terresford|Lisane de Terresford]] was delivering the first part of her [[appraisal]] discussing attitudes to eternals in the [[Sumaah Republic]], which also referenced [[Satraps_of_the_Abyss#Republican_Eternals|several eternals]] that seem to be unknown in the Empire.

Presented as something of a travelogue, as is often the case with Snowstorm Henk, it also provides some insight into Sarcophan attitudes to the realms in general, and additional information about eternals not directly related to the sea.
==Introduction==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Watt of Lambrook.jpg|caption='''Watt of Lambrook''', Minister of Historical Research|align=right|width=400}}
The trip across the seas was a little longer than I had expected, but proved mostly uneventful. I was not entirely prepared for just how many sharks there are in the [[The_seven_seas#Sea_of_Teeth|Sea of Teeth]], but the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] sailors did their best to hide their amusement at my reaction. I explained several times that we have no sharks in [[Skarsind]] and that just seemed to amuse them even more. I was also a little taken aback at the sheer size of Sarcophan. It is a city to rival [[Sarvos]] and [[Tassato]] both together, a confusing melange of ancient and brand new, without any suggestion of a plan or scheme. Towers and bridges and halls and tombs all hodge-podge together like a box of building bricks upended with little rhyme or reason.

I met with Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike only briefly; she welcomed me to the Delves and reassured me that there were several local [[coven|covens]], as well as individual magicians and scholars who made a study of the eternals, eager to meet me. Helpfully, she had arranged a select gathering for the very next afternoon in which I was able to meet with what amounted to the cream of Sarcophan [[realms]] studies. I shan't bore you with details but I was a little heartened to find that they were for the most part as earnest, opinionated, argumentative, and downright peculiar as their peers at home. There was a definite split, however, between those who made a particular academic study of the realms and those who dealt directly with eternals and [[Inhabitants of the realms#Heralds|heralds]] as part of their professional lives. As always, there is a gulf between the theoretical and the practical, but where possible I shall attempt to synthesise the two approaches.

Before I begin there is one set of eternals that I have not spent much time exploring in the Delves. Many of the [[Archmage_of_Day#The_Eternals_of_Day|Hierarchs of Sea and Sky]] have an association with the sea that seems to be much more metaphorical than literal. [[Leviathan]], [[Zakalwe]], [[Roshanwe]], and even [[Ylenwe]] have a tie to the idea of the sea but are not themselves eternals ''of'' the sea, if you follow my reasoning. With the exception of [[Roshanwe]], they are not especially involved with the Delves, and even there it is the seeking-distant-ports resonances of ''Beachcomber'' that they are more interested in. I focused my attention a little more closely on those eternals I felt that the Empire as a whole had least experience with, and I hope that I am not out of line by doing so.

==A Sarcophan View==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Taxonomy.png|align=right|width=400|caption=The Esatolian Taxonomy groups eternals not by realm, but by function.}}</div>
One of the more surprising things that arose during this research is that the Sarcophan view of the realms and the eternals is fundamentally different to that of the Empire. Of course, the six realms exist - that is just a matter of fact. However, the Sarcophan do not classify the eternals primarily by realm. Instead, the classification of the eternals is a broad taxonomy based primarily on common functions, with the classification by realm a secondary factor. The name for the study of such matters in Sarcophan is "De taxonomie van magische bestuurders", and an expert is known as a ''taxanoom''. Being a taxanoom is considered a somewhat difficult but respectable profession. Most magicians in the Delves are ''not'' taxanoom: they might deal a little with specific eternals, but they don't make it their business to know all of them. A taxonoom is generally consulted for specialist advice when it is believed a project calls for it: the ritual magic they practice is apparently not unlike [[Aspect magic#goetia|goetia]], but with a legalistic and bureaucratic formulation.

The full ''taxonomie'' is quite broad and contains multiple factors which are debated amongst scholars of the art. "Eternals of the Sea" is one of the clearest ways in which eternals can be classified, but other examples include "Eternals who are Sovereign Rulers" and "Eternals who are Magicians". The Sarcophan believe that in fact it's in the nuances between the realms that you find within these broad themes that you gain the most insight: in contrast they don't really think it's useful to think about the ways that eternals of the same realm relate to each other (with a few special-case exceptions).

The Sarcophan believe a working knowledge of taxonomy to be the only firm foundation for successful trade with eternals. Despite this, there are dozens of competing taxonomies put forward by rival scholars, each of which offers competing classifications. Some of these works include all the known powers, while others have gaps or classify only a handful of eternals. In fact, there are so many different taxonomy, that the Sarcophan have created a classification system for them.

The Esatolian Taxonomy, is one of the more popular systems of classifications, and one of the first that many aspiring magicians learn. It is "complete" in the sense that it contains all the eternals that the Sarcophan commonly trade with. It is singular, which means that each eternal is assigned to a single taxonomy, and economic, which means eternals are presented in order of the most profitable to trade with, rather than by their assessed power. I have included it here as it one of the easiest to understand and use.

==Regent of the Eternal Sea==
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=RhianosArt.jpg|align=right|width=200|caption=Rhinaos, Regent of the Eternal Sea, is a spirit of adventure - but also risk and recklessness.}}</div>
I spent a very enjoyable week with the ''Haaienvermijders'', a Sarcophan magical cabal familiar to some Imperial magicians. It did not cease to entertain me that their name literally translates into Imperial as "Shark Dodgers". They live up to their name - a jovial coven whose members compose a small trading guild - although I will confess I was a little surprised to discover that these adepts of [[Summer magic|Summer]] and [[Night magic]] were almost entirely of the [[briar]] [[lineage]]. Of course the Spring-touched are common in the Delves - the blessings of their heritage help them endure the various problems related to living in what amounts to a plague-haunted swamp with towers in it - but it struck me as a little surprising to imagine such an enterprisingly entrepreneurial endeavour being run entirely by briar folk. I confess this led to a little introspective soul-searching that is beyond the remit of my researches.

Among the ''Shark Dodgers'', I was regaled by multiple stories relating to the [[Golden Voyage]] - the popular ritual developed from the pioneering work of Andreas i Sol-Devorador i Erigo of the Krakenfire Armada - some of which seemed outlandish even for that particular magical rite. This turned out to be more relevant than I at first anticipated, however. Since the exchange of rituals - [[Muffled Oar]] for [[Golden Voyage]] - the Shark Dodgers have sought out a closer relationship with the [[Rhianos|Regent of the Eternal Sea]] who finds a certain appeal in that particular enchantment.

Rhianos - the eternal has as many names in the Delves as they do in the Empire - has reasonably close ties with the magicians of the Sarcophan Delves. While the Delves are best known for their trading empire, there are always venturous souls among them who seek out both new ports and new opportunities for personal enrichment. Rhianos rarely leads them astray in that regard, for all that the eternal themselves is unconcerned with "profit" in a purely pecuniary sense. Rather, the "spirit of adventure" helps them find uncharted waters, lost islands, strange beasts with valuable teeth, and fog-shrouded smugglers ports with equal ease.

According to the ''Haaienvermijders'', more than one Bedelaar Huisbaas through the history of the Delves has managed a lucky find inspired by Rhianos into a personal fortune. As a consequence, Rhianos is seen as a patron of the young and the reckless - those who have yet to make their mark in society prepared to risk all for the chance to shine - and more established individuals and concerns politely decline their gifts. This doesn't seem to worry ''Foamfollower'', and does nothing to tarnish his reputation among the mariners of the Delves.

The ''Shark Dodgers'' mention a spell relatively well known among the magewrights of the docks and quays called ''Where Kraken Lie'' provided by Rhianos that functions in a manner similar to Golden Voyage but is a little less potent, and bears with it an assurance relating to how the enchantment can be purchased. Magicians are not allowed to charge for the service, but must instead agree to take shares of any treasure the adventurous sailor acquires, which again makes it more appealing to the less wealthy segments of society.

==Sailor on the Skerries==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Blue-ringed octopus.jpg|caption=Dathan is a creature of wonder and imagination, a bringer of joy and reverie.|width=400px}}</div>
The Haaienvermijders also spoke at some length about the eternals of the Night realm with an interest in the sea. They mentioned as a matter of course that they had good relations with the ''Brother of Seaserpents'' - [[Sadogua]] - but agreed that while he was always prepared to offer aid with the performing of maritime magic he wasn't actually any ''good'' at the rituals themselves. They were a little reticent to discuss the codification of ''Muffled Oar'', and the involvement of the ''Jolly Patron'' in that endeavour, instead preferring to change the subject. I was happy to let them do so - particularly because what they most wanted to talk about was ''Dathon'', the ''Regent of the Skerries of Dream''.

The name ''Dathon'' comes from the inscription on a statue found in the time between the flight of those who would become the Highborn and the consolidation of the Delves into its modern form. There has been more discussion of this period in the previous research project '' [[Origins_of_the_Highborn#The_Fall_of_the_Umshalla|Origins of the Highborn]]'' especially where it talks about the fall of the Umshalla.

The statue is still preserved, standing over the ''Stergozocht'', a relatively poverty-stricken neighbourhood not far from the wealthy [[Foreign_ports#Betovering|Betovering]] docks. From the waist up it depicts a young human person with arms raised - although the left arm has broken off halfway between shoulder and elbow - one hand cupped as if to catch water and funnel it into a basin before the figure. Due to the missing arm, apparently the water just splashes every which way in modern times. From the waist down, however, they have a much more serpentine form. Not a snake as such - there are a few surviving fin-like structures along the length of the tail which coils round and round beneath the body giving an almost pyramidal base to the entire sculpture.

Most of the old stone fins have been broken off - my guide mentioned a little grumpily that some sailors believed that the fins would bring luck when travelling at sea and were stolen centuries ago. The words on the dais were cut deep, and plainly readable as "Dathon", although whatever else was carved there had long since been erased by the passage of years.

The things that stuck with me most about the statue were its size - it was several times as tall as I was even allowing for the raised dais on which it stood; the obvious fine quality of the sculpture despite its somewhat reduced state; and the face, turned toward the far horizon. Most of the features were gone, worn smooth by time, but there was something about its almost-human proportions that made me certain the visage was smiling a gentle smile of joy, and excitement, and yearning for... something.

My guide also pointed to the areas around the base of the things coils that had been worn smooth over time, she said, by young or desperate sailors touching it for luck, a tradition that continued to this day.

Back in the pleasant offices of the ''Haaienvermijders'' we discussed the eternal in more detail. As with many such creatures, especially in the realm of [[Realms#Night|Night]], ''Dathan'' has a host of subsidiary names. The most common is ''Fisher of the Reefs of Night'' - my hosts got a good laugh out of my attempts to pronounce the name in the Sarcophan language but quickly took pity on me and used Imperial translations from that point onward. They are also known as ''Sailor on the Skerries'', ''Wonderwove'', ''Hypnopheus'', ''Wind of Reverie'', ''Saltsong'', ''Light in the Deep'' and, interestingly, ''Star of the Seventh Sea'' and ''The Shoals of the Star-filled Sky''. ''Dathon'' is not their truest name, but the one that many sailors and mariners of the Delves know them by. The ''Haaienvermijders'' were a little surprised that I was unfamiliar with them, but were not slow to fill in further details.

The statue - a youth with the lower body of a marine serpent - is only one form taken by the traditionally mercurial Night eternal. The ''Haaienvermijders'' spoke of them, or their heralds, taking on the form of a clever rainbow octopus, a drifting jellyfish like creature that glowed with an inner radiance, a small but brightly coloured fish like none seen in the sea, or as a humanoid figure with multicoloured, scaled skin, and a great rainbow robe with trailing sleeves and a deep hood. Regardless of how they or their children appear, though, it is almost always in the context of a sailor, or a creature of the sea.

They exemplify the wonder and excitement of putting to sea, of exploring the strange and unfamiliar, but not simply in the pure practical sense. Dathan speaks of the mortal mind as an ocean - that each human (and presumably orc) has a realm as large as the whole of Night within their head. This is a metaphor, but also a "great truth" apparently. Before anything new can come into the world it must first be dreamed, and then made real. Dreams are where mortals are most free, and able to pass beyond the constraints of their bodies. Awe and joy are the truest emotions of the mortal heart because they are inspired by seeing beautiful, wondrous things or having profound experiences that cause the mind and spirit to grow and spread wings. The desire to expand ones experiences, to seek out new and marvellous things, was the most important drive of all and created a wake - a path - of stars that allowed mortals to make the world outside their heads as amazing as the one within.

The connection with stars, incidentally, attracted my attention but apparently has little to do with [[astronomancy]] - rather it is the ''idea'' of the stars of the night sky and not the [[constellations]] that Dathan represents, the allure and beauty and wonder of the little specks of light scattered across the sable shawl of the skies.

There was a great deal more of this kind of thing, but I was able to distil it down a little. Dathan is a serpent - like [[Sung]] or [[Lashonar]]. Rather than having wings, however, they have great wing-like fins that allow them to move freely through the water that is their domain. Their demesne is a shallow sea sometimes called the ''Skerries of Dream'' that is full of wonders and beauty and which mortals can occasionally visit in their dreams through some mechanism. As well as having a close tie to the sea as a source of awe and joy, they are closely tied to the idea of dreams, imagination, inspiration, wonder, and the drive to expand horizons and experience new things. They also have some connection to the idea of "treasure" - especially natural wonders such as pearls, gorgeous fish, strange beasts, unique fruit or flowers, water with magical properties, and the like, which can inspire and excite those prepared to engage in potentially dangerous quests.

Not, the Haaienvermijders were quick to qualify, ''exploration'' as such. Dathan has little interest in maps, apparently, and argues that they "pin down" the imagination in a way that is contrary to cultivating true wonder. Rather they want individuals to go to remote places and bask in the amazing experiences they can have there. Which as one of the ''Shark Dodgers'' said a little long-sufferingly, makes them utterly useless from a trade point of view. Having a patron that wants you to go somewhere amazing that has (for example) an exotic new breed of fruit that will be very much in demand if you bring it back home, but who actively opposes any effort to initiate a trade route to that location, can be a major pain in the backside. I think they were speaking from personal experience.

That is not to say that the Delves considers them useless - but the Haaienvermijders urged caution in dealing with them despite their apparently positive aspect. There are only a few areas where their power and influence is valuable, according to the Delves. Their focus on wonder means they can sometimes offer boons that help mortals overcome fear or despair, at the cost of perhaps pushing them too far in the other direction. Their fascination with beauty and natural wonders means that they can sometimes be prevailed on to help gain access to rare plants, precious stones, or similar wonders but only where they believe people will appreciate their beauty and inspiration rather than mine them and make a fortune.

Their focus on the imagination means they often serve as patrons for artists and poets, especially those arts that involve creating uplifting and optimistic stories, offering small boons related to dream and wonder. There was also talk of a ritual created with the aid of ''Dathan'' that appeared quite similar to [[Sift the Dreamscape's Sands]] but rather then bringing shifting dreams of jungles, it inspires dreams of wonderful sea voyages or undersea adventures, but specifically empowers the magician's mastery of [[Night magic]] alone. It is apparently well known among practitioners of Night magic in the Delves, while Sift the Dreamscapes Sands seems to be largely unknown despite being somewhat more versatile.

In character they and their heralds are apparently nerve-shreddingly optimistic, upbeat, positive, hopeful, and joyous. They love wonderful things, and go out of their way to encourage other people to share that joy. The consensus of the ''Haaienvermijders '' is that they are pleasant enough to deal with from time to time, but the boons they can provide are often not worth the effort it takes to get hold of them.

They're also a little unpredictable, even for a Night eternal. One of them told a cautionary tale about the ''Wonderverkopers'' - the "Miracle Sellers". This guild became wealthy selling some materials introduced to them by Dathan as recreational narcotics, as well as a small number of marvellous dream rituals developed with the patronage of the eternal (which to my mind sounded a bit like Octavius of Auric Horizon's [[Ride the Noble Steed]]) After a time, though, they became greedy and started placing more and more demands on Dathan, and apparently paying lip service to the eternals goal of inspiring and bringing joy and wonder to drab lives.

At one point, during a meeting of the now wealthy members of the previously underdog guild, to discuss a potential play for the [[Founders_of_the_Delves#The_Buidelrat|Seat of the Buidelrat]], something went horribly wrong. The guild members themselves were eventually discovered sealed in their meeting chambers sound asleep. They remained asleep from that day onwards. Examination by a profession ''vloekprik'' - an expert in curses - determined that they were all enjoying truly amazing dreams of wealth, power, and indulgence that would last for the rest of their lives. Breaking the curse was apparently too expensive, and so the surviving members of the guild had them moved to a nice hospice in the marshes where they each lived out several more decades of endless, wonderful dreams. How true this tale is I cannot say for sure, but the ''Haaienvermijders'' certainly seemed to believe it so...

I asked if the Haaienvermijders knew any reason why Dathan might not have spoken with the Empire in any formal capacity. They weren't able to answer directly but "made enquiries" - they certainly knew some other covens of magicians who had closer ties with Dathan then they themselves did. My studies took me elsewhere, but shortly before I was due to quit the Delves and return to Sarcophan, my former guide came to see me with some news. They had spoken with a magician who engaged in the practice of ''dream trading'' - a combination magician and pharmaceuticalist such as one is only likely to find in the Delves I wager - who had a way to speak with heralds of Dathan. According to this slightly unsavoury individual, Dathan avoids anything to do with Imperial citizens for two reasons.

The first is the activity of the ''Crew of Sodden Trains'' - which we both agreed was probably the [[Whisper Gallery]] - who apparently loathes Dathan for sharing secret and hidden things with people. A more serious concern however was something the herald called the "Lantern Shark". As near as my ''Shark Dodger'' friend was able to make out, there is a creature of the Night realm that Dathan's herald describes as having the features of a rare deep-water fish that uses a lure to draw curious fish toward it so it can feast on them, and a monstrous shark.

I confessed I had no idea what this was about, and my guide ventured that it might be that Dathan is in opposition to a more forthright, dangerous eternal of the Night realm that also deals in dreams and that they (Dathan) believe it to have enough of a claim over Imperial magicians that the ''Sailor on the Skerries'' does not wish - or is unable - to intrude. This is, as my companion ruefully noted, an eternal that is most likely to run away from any conflict and convince itself that it never happened, or spend the next few years daydreaming about how it might have gone differently, than to actually have a fight with anyone or anything.

==Maw of Stone==
<div style="float:right; width: 275px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Siakha002.png|caption=The Maw of Stone is a common name in the Delves for the destructive eternal of Spring the Empire calls Siakha.|align=right|width=275}}</div>
After spending several weeks with the mercantile magicians of the ''Haaienvermijders'', I was hosted for a very pleasant fortnight at the home of the occult scholar ''Mina Luister''. While not actually a magician herself, in her prime she was well paid to serve as an intermediary between folk of the Delves and the eternals, having dedicated her life to studying everything she could about the creatures and their heralds. A true professional, she nonetheless told me many tantalising stories of deals struck, dangerous bargains, hair-raising negotiations, and in one case, a desperate swim through underwater ruins pursued by a hunting ''[[Siakha#Servants_of_Siakha|carcharadon]]''.

This latter brought us naturally to a discussion of the [[Siakha|Mother of Storms]] who the folk of the Delves variously call ''Red Squid'', ''Maw of Stone'', and occasionally ''the Chewer''. The former is a reference to the [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]], while the latter two names speak of certain maritime phenomena where a whirlpool or waterspout becomes entangled with loose boulders and razor sharp pieces of coral that can shred hull, sail, or skin with equal aplomb.

Whereas the Sarcophan are likely to treat other eternals with the same laissez faire attitude they do foreign nations and merchants visiting their shores, this is not the case with Siakha. The eternal is seen as a figure of awe, or even terror. She represents the horrors of the ocean - not the unknown or theoretical horrors of the great deeps but the well-known and yet still unpredictable horrors of nature at its wildest. Storms, of course, but also those calms that can leave a ship stranded as the crew slowly go mad from thirst and the sun. Mighty beasts of the deep, for sure, but also the smaller creatures such as termites and poison crabs or deadly jellyfish. The Delves are particularly vulnerable to the machinations of the Mother of Storms, being both a maritime nation and one whose largest city lies along a coast parts of which are prone to flooding.

One bright morning my hostess prevailed on me to join her for a sedan chair ride out to the western docks. I was not enamoured of the sedan chair - while Mina reassured me several times it was a service like any other I felt there was something a little... unvirtuous... about paying other people to carry you around in luxury. Mistress Luister found it amusing at first but became a little waspish over time, and I was at pains to explain that it was not a judgement just a feeling. Apparently it is quite common for wealthier Sarcophan to travel by such a means, allowing them to avoid the mud and dirt that accumulates in the lower parts of the city. One can always tell a wealthy Sarcophan, they say, because their hems are clean.

Anyway, the reason for the sedan chair ride was to see a small wonder she called ''De Negenendertig Tanden'' - the Thirty-Nine Teeth. I'd seen one of them while arriving at the Delves and I presume many of my fellow Imperials who make a regular journey here already know something of them but Mina was able to give me their entire history. Not buoys as I had originally thought, they are thirty-nine columns of white granite inlaid with mithril and ilium that form a somewhat ragged fence across the bay overlooked by the central towers of the Delves. A great work of engineering, one that took the focus of the entire Beggar's Feast a little over two centuries ago, and required several seasons to complete, these teeth fundamentally weaken the servants of Siakha who might try to attack Sarcophan. Even those with powerful boons from the eternal might find themselves uncomfortable visiting the Delves - something Mina considered a point of pride. Pirates are not really welcome here, after all.

I expressed amazement at the sheer majesty of the work and she was more than happy to boast about the political wrangling that was needed to get the Teeth built. The Teeth also discourage the larger and more predatory beasts of the ocean approaching too close - it is one reason that Sarcophan has not had a recorded kraken attack in two hundred years. From time to time foolish servants of the Maw of Stone make an attempt to weaken or breach the cordon, but there is a dedicated naval force that protects the Teeeth supported by magicians versed in battlefield magic with experience fighting the heralds of Siakha and so far they have prevented unnatural threats to the city.

Mina did explain, however, that this fence against Siakha was partially made possible by the assistance of a certain being of the Day realm, and as we took a pleasant tea in one of the towers looking out across the bay, she explained a little about ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds''.

==Lord of the Winds==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Shy albatross in flight.jpg|title=Grumpy albatross is wise to your malarkey.|caption=Guathier is one of the Hierarchs of Sea and Sky, and strongly associated with weather and the sea.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
Many of the eternals of the [[Realms#Day|Day realm]], the Hierarches of Sea and Sky, have a connection to the idea of the sea. [[Leviathan]] famously swims in the depths of a vast ocean that spreads across the entire realm. [[Zakalwe]], [[Ylenwe]], and [[Roshanwe]] each have their personal realms on the surface of that endless sea, while the domain of [[Phaleron]] is built on coral islands and rises high into the air, and deep into the waters. [[Kimus]] and [[Sinokenon]] meanwhile have their demesnes high above, in the sky over the eternal mirror-like sea. ''Guathier, Lord of the Winds'' is closer to the latter than the former, but nonetheless is counted by the Sarcophan as an eternal of the sea.

Unlike many eternals, ''Guathier'' does not collect names; the only other two commonly used in Sarcophan are ''Who-Sees-The-Wind'' and ''Windwinder''. She takes the form of a great bird, similar to an albatross - to my mind the depictions are very similar to those I have seen of the Imperial Albatross of the cliffs of [[Redoubt#Ventosi|Ventosi]] in [[Redoubt]]. Their feathers are translucent white, with light blue markings, and it is said that when she is in flight they glow with the light of the sun so bright it is impossible for a mortal to look on them without going blind.

Guathier is associated both with the wind, and with the currents of the sea - which her heralds describe as being very similar things seen from different perspectives in different mediums. She observes the flows of wind, and is said to be able to shape the wind and the currents of the sea. Mostly this power is drawn on to quell storms and bad weather of that nature - there are notes about a ritual boon offered by Guathier that provides significant protection to naval forces from the effect of cursed storms for example.

It seems as well that her fascination with currents, with the movement of air and water, makes her something of a prognosticator. Guathier is fascinated with the way that the smallest action can result in significant changes to the way events unfold, just as a rock in the path of a river can divert its flow in ways that are hard to predict. If Leviathan looks at the present that arises from the past, Guathier is concerned with the future that may arise from the present.

There is clearly more to this eternal than I was able to glean in my short discussion with Mina, and she was unable to introduce me to any magicians that deal extensively with her or her heralds. As to why she is not known in the Empire, Mina could not offer any particular guidance although we did discuss the possibility that the Empire's use of curses that inflict bad weather such as [[Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea]] and [[Thunderous Deluge]] might have some influence on her opinion of our magicians.

==Polyptoton==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Turtle city.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
Shortly before my time with Mina was due to come to an end, she introduced me to a Sarcophan [[cambion]] magician with the delightful name of ''Jaan van Daan''. Jaan makes a living dispatching messages and packages across the Known World through the auspices of [[Autumn magic]], and numbers everyone from ''Bedelaar Huisbaas'', through religious leaders, to fellow magicians among their clients. A true independent, it is likely that if you have received a [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] from the Delves it is Jaan van Daan that has sent it. Or at least so they themselves claim; but they certainly have the wealth and lifestyle to make me believe their claims.

Mina introduced me to Jaan specifically to talk about the ''Sovereign-Lord of the City of Salt and Sail'', with whom we understood the [[Archmage of Autumn]] had recently become acquainted. The name used by Jaan van Daan is ''Polyptoton''; the Sarcophan said that this is the name of the eternal itself, which takes the form of an immense turtle-like creature upon whose back the city is built. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a turtle the size of Sarvos (conservatively; the Autumn realm inevitably claims that their cities are significantly larger than any in the mortal realm) but Jaan was insistent. The being itself goes by any number of names, and is also known as ''Saratan'' and ''Archeloni'', while the city itself is known as the ''Wandering City'', the ''Port Of No Storm'', and ''Mirabilis''.

Over a course of the stickiest sweets I have ever encountered in my life, Jaan shared some of his understanding of the City of Salt and Sail, and its connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. I mentioned that I had heard of magic items that could call up messengers as well, but Jaan was unable to explain how they might work.

Regardless, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Jaan van Daan was at pains to tell me that this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Beyond these rituals, the City of Salt and Sail is concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - [[Autumn magic#Travel and Communication|travel and communication]]. While they have some interest in [[Autumn magic#Trade|trade]], this is true of ''all'' the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods. This metaphor puts one in mind of the arguments that the merchants of Ephisis make about "Gold" and "Lead" - a central allegory that underpins some of their claims without really meaning anything.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and Jaan van Daan told me that they are ''the'' eternal to speak to in the Autumn realm - or any other - about facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the [[Find the Best Path]] ritual in recent years.

Their enthusiasm for communication, says Jaan, has some key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum is a perfect example of how it sees communication - a chance for disparate folk to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not ''averse'' to people speaking to each other but they are ''much'' more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the [[Prospero|Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges]] they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

==Kobhel Tava and More==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=KhobelTavah.jpg|caption=Khobel and Tavah are the worst fear of sailors and those they leave behind. They are the drowned and the sea that drowns.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
After a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jaan van Daan, I finished my time with Mina by visiting some old colleagues of hers. The ''Stillegolf'' are a small coven who these days are apparently mostly retired. The four of them met with me in their apartments - a series of large open rooms at the top of one of the teetering towers of Sarcophan. We met at night, among candles, and I feel that decision was in part to ensure they presented their home in the best light. It was clear to me that their glory days are behind them, but I have no doubt that they knew it themselves, and knew I knew. In spite of that, the quarter of elderly [[draughir]] were engaging dinner companions and we spoke long into the night about the King of Nowhere and the Queen of the Vast.

Salt in the Lungs and the Prophet of the Last Light are known in the Delves but they are kept carefully at arms length by most of the wizards here. One of the ''Stillegolf'', a droll fellow named ''Marta Kjirik '' with a poetic turn of phrase, described them thus: "''they are the deep oceans, the water you don't now, with rocks beneath the surface that you cannot see. They are the fear of the becalmed sailor, of the captain who sees the storm approaching that she knows her ship will not survive, the dread of being far from shore and feeling your vessel shift beneath your feet as it begins to talk on water. They are the fraying of ropes, and the ripping of canvas, and the doomsong pealing in the depths, where no bells should be."

I can tell you now that, sat in that dark cavernous room full of faded splendor, with candles flickering and my hosts all staring at me unblinking, Marta's words sent a shiver down my spine and I heard the echo of one of my ancestors urging me to get out of there as fast as possible before they ate me. I squared my shoulders and persevered, however.

One of the other draughir, ''Irta Covesaar'', told a story of Khobel Tavah in her heavily accented Imperial that one of their heralds allegedly came to the people of Umshalla, the folk who occupied the Delves before the Sarcophan, and offered a warning of three dooms: chaos, war, and plague. The Diarchs of Parralenth, Elam and Orpa, refuted each of the claims of the herald in turn and cast the doomsayer from their court. They truly believed that their people could weather any storm that might come. Within a handful of years, the Diarchs were dead, the nation had been riven with chaos, civil war burned in the streets, and the final plague had begun to spread.

The tale might be apocryphal, but it led to a discussion that the ''Two-Who-Are-One'' are among the least unpredictable of the eternals the ''Stillegolf'' dealt with in their time. They do what they say, and there is little ambiguity with them. When they warn, their warning should be taken seriously because their words are never idle. They can also be drawn on to provide protection to ships at sea, which is one of the services the ''Stillegolf'' specialised in. They employed enchantments called ''Sails of the Last City'' which was invaluable to mercenary vessels employed to guard trade fleets, and ''Ward of Last Light'' which granted sailors preternatural fortitude and prevented death at sea for a time.

The third member of the coven, the old guildmaster ''Pieter Covesaar'' explained that the ritual texts they had used were sold off years ago, but they showed me several old boons from the ''Old Man and the Sea''. These battered looking foci appeared to have been taken from sunken wrecks, marked by decades of exposure to salt water, but were nonetheless sturdy. Their magical potency had long since leeched from them, but careful examination showed that they had once held powers that allowed ritual magicians to more easily weave spells of [[Winter magic#Preservation|preservation]] and [[Winter magic#Survival|survival]] that were quite intriguing.

It was while we were leaving that the last surviving member of the coven, ''Sjaak Kjikik'' spoke up for the first time, discoursing on the matter of fear, and while I didn't know it at the time my visit was about to take a peculiar tangent. I had made some off-hand comment about fear of drowning, and Sjaak had corrected me. He spoke in tones more suited to a professor lecturing at the [[Sarvos#Diora_University|Diora]], but his expression was scarily intense and his eyes flickered gold and red in the candleflames. He explained that there are two forms of fear, and the Winter eternals represent the more wholesome of the two. The [[Winter magic#Fear|fears]] the Winter eternals exemplify are ''rational'' fears - it is right that people fear drowning because it is a horrible way to die, one that is always waiting just behind the shoulder of anyone who owes their lives to the water. The fear of hunger, of making bad decisions, of the ending that comes with death, of pain, of suffering, are all ''sensible'' fears. Yet there is another kind of fear that has nothing to do with reason or good sense. For ''that'' kind of fear one must look elsewhere - to the ''Hongerigespin'' and to ''Ungholt, the Delerium King''.

==Hongerigespin and Ungholt==
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Delirium King.jpg|caption=Ungholt the Delerium King spreads madness and terror, and twists the dreams of sleeping mortals into terrible shapes.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
Mina looked quite concerned when he mentioned these two, and saw my questioning expression. We sat back down again and Sjaak gave a quick explanation. These were not eternals of the Winter realm, but of Night. He did not talk much about ''Hongerigespin'' apart from the say that it was a creature that devoured everything that made a person a person and brought the kind of living death which ate the entire person but left their bodies behind. Irta tried to interject that the creature also had useful powers over obfuscation and concealment, but even she had to agree that the boons were never worth it given the price. Mina kept trying to catch my eye during this exchange and communicate nonverbally, and on top of that one of my ancestors was growling very loudly in my left ear, and so I did not take much in.

On the subject of ''Ungholt, the Delirium King'', however, Sjaak was much more voluble, seemingly to the chagrin of this three covenmates. Apparently this creature appears as a figure without a face, in a hooded robe. It may also appear as the most terrifying image drawn from the nightmares of those who see them. There is no lesson in the fear brought by the Delirium King, only madness and death. Sjaak began to twitch as he spoke, getting more and more agitated, until Marta brought out a particular deep green liquor and made him down a small glass of it to bring back his calm.

I had to check twice that the Delirium King was a creature of the Night realm, and not the Winter realm, but Sjaak was adamant and the others nodded silent agreement. He then explained that Delirium King is the lord of nightmare, madness, and fear made manifest. It is actually tangentially associated with my commission which is why I mention it here. Where most of the other domains of the Night realm are said to be forests, Ungholt dominates a land of mud and water, creeping mist, and unnatural trees called the Mire of Madness. It is drawn to places where people have drowned, and apparently finds the desperate struggles of someone unable to escape water or quicksand to be delightful music. Given that much of the land in and around the Delves is marshland, I could immediately see why the creature was relevant to the Sarcophan. Also, its tangential connection to water led me to believe that it might be relevant to the wider commission.

Marta broke in at this point to stress again that there is no ''[[Winter magic#Wisdom|wisdom]]'' in the fear Ungholt brings. They are simply a prison, one that eventually breaks the mind of their victims and leaves them unable to tell reality from dreadful fantasy. Its servants move in nightmare, apparently, allowing them to attack sleeping minds and remove the ability to rest. It can also bring weakness and a fear so terrible it paralyses those exposed to it, allegedly with a simple touch or terrible music.

It was around this point that I started to notice that the candles had mostly gone out. We are huddled together around the low table, scattered with the remnants of our supper, hunched forward while Sjaak rambled about nightmare and madness, sucking quagmire, and drifting lights that fed on the souls of the despairing, our shadows seeming to be dreadful giants leaning forward above and around us. It put me in mind of some of the stories I had heard from soldiers fighting in [[Zenith]] and [[Ossium]], and so I interjected and quickly described the [[Druj miasma]]. Might Ungholt be involved in such a thing?

The draughir magicians asked several probing questions, and the more answers I gave the more certain they became that the Delirium King could not be responsible. The Druj miasma and its [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|pillars]] have laid over [[the Mallum]] for generations - Sjaak was adamant that any extended exposure to the power of Ungholt on such a scale could bring only madness and death. Whatever the miasma is, it is not a thing of the [[Realms#Night|Night Realm]]. Yet they cautioned that it is the kind of thing that would delight Ungholt, would draw his attention like flies to a rotting corpse. An entire people oppressed by auras of fear, dread, and despair would be a feast for Ungholt and its servants. I was initially a little skeptical, but the more I thought on it the more I came to agree with them. If the miasma of the Mallum ''was'' a thing of the realms we would have known about it decades ago. And I must stress, the four of them were in agreement that exposure to the power of Ungholt for an extended period of time would break the spirit and the mind to the point that nobody - Druj ''or'' their septs - would be able to function in any way.

When Sjaak left to answer the call of his bladder, Pieter quickly explained that there was a reason that Sjaak was so impassioned, and why they were certain that the eternal was not behind this "miasma" I spoke of. Twenty years ago the ''Stillegolf'' ran afoul of a coven of magicians who drew on the boons of Ungholt. The coven dwelled outside the city in the swamps along the Umshalla river, and had come to the attention of the Delves' coven because they were terrorizing Sarcophan ship captains who relied on their warding magic for protection. The ensuing "wizards war" went in favour of the ''Stillegolf'', not least because they were able to call in favours from several of the maritime associations they had worked with, and because they were able to draw on soldiers from the Grim Legion of the ''Maiden of Midnight''. Despite this, the fight left two of their number - including Sjaak's husband - trapped in eternal nightmare slumber, and Sjaak on the verge of madness after six months of awful waking visions.

While Pieter spoke, Irta lit more candles and unshrouded a dim [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]], and when Sjaak returned from his call of nature the subject was changed and Mina and I thanked our hosts and left. Sjaak had the last word - he warned that I should not seek to learn much more about Ungholt, and should definitely not seek to attract its attention. If the Empire is not of interest to the Delirium King, they should thank their good fortune and perhaps spare a moment to think compassionately of those in the Delves who are not so lucky.

Mina and I travelled back to my apartments in silence, and I confess that when I finally slept that night my dreams were tormented by the image of a black hooded spectre and an increasingly unhinged Sjaak hunting me through the streets of [[Skarsind#Gildenheim|Gildenheim]], dream-warped such that they were overwhelmed with terrible, stinking swamps.

==Conclusion==
When I awoke, slathered in sweat, it turned out that it was not just the unsettling tales of the ''Stillegolf'' that were responsible for my disturbed night. I had, despite all my best efforts, managed to pick up some awful sickness of the bowels native to the Sarcophan Delves. If I had one piece of advice to give any of my colleagues considering spending time in the Delves it would be to boil the water before you drink it. I spent a week alternating between weeping and hunched over, and writhing wrapped in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Several of the magicians I had met sent small tokens of consolation, and I can only thank the physician provided by Bedelaar Huisbaas Annike who dosed me every six hours with a preparation of boiled water and [[bladeroot]]. With her assistance, my fever eventually broke and I regained control of my bowels. Two days later, I was leaving the Delves, with a new appreciation of how wide and complicated the world really is. Despite my illness, I think my time in Sarcophan was well spent and I would happily return.

I spent most of the journey back across the Sea of Teeth and the [[Bay of Catazar]] compiling my notes into this travelogue, which I hope will prove of interest. My recommendation would be that the Minister think carefully about how best to present this information to the rest of the Empire. Especially the Conclave who can, sometimes, leave themselves open to criticism when it comes to their enthusiasm for seeking out new creatures of the realms.

While several of those mentioned here seem harmless, some of them may certainly present hidden dangers. I'll leave my final point as an paraphrase of something Mina Luister said to me over spiced cakes. Sometimes it is a blessing to avoid the gaze of the powerful, especially when their desires are unpredictable.

It scans better in Sarcophan, I suppose.
==Further Reading==
* [[Eternal]]
* [[Sarcophan Delves]]

Writing about Empire

2026-08-01T11:27:31Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Game Design]]
==Overview==
This page collects a number of short essays about Empire, usually from the game team. The tone is usually quite informal, and the posts tend to be taken from various places around Facebook. There's also a page of articles from the crew about what they do during events which you can find [[What we do|here]].

==Feedback==
* ''From an aside by Andy Raff in our private discord server''
Its fascinating how often we reprise "wearing melons on my feet is too onerous, PD need to do something!" with "... we didn't ask you to do that please stop".

==PvP Politics==
At its heart Empire is a game of politics that is quite deliberately player versus player (PvP). That means that if you are going to be active in the politics of the Empire then all the major protagonists that you encounter will be portrayed by other players. We discourage murder, but the game is designed to encourage many different forms of political rivalry. Our winds of fortune are designed to give characters reasons to disagree, and all the big political structures of the Empire, Senate, Synod, etc exist to support those political battles.
There are other parts of the game. What we call player-with-player interactions, so trade, commerce, and the discussions and interactions that characters have that aren’t antagonistic are also important. There are the big player versus monster battles and skirmishes which form the backdrop to the military side of the game. We do run plot involving non-player-characters (NPCs) interacting with player characters (PCs), but whether that’s eternals, sovereigns, foreigners, barbarians or even Imperial citizens, the plot is rarely about their interaction with the PCs. It’s about what the PCs say and do with each other after they’ve talked to our NPCs. Our goal with plot is to focus on the PCs and their interactions with each other.

Because the emphasis in Empire is on the conflict between PCs it’s important that people make sure they separate in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) as cleanly as humanly possible. We want characters to fall out with each other, to compete for Imperial titles and to push their rival agendas. What we don’t want is for players to fall out with each other and to treat the conflict for Imperial titles like it’s an OOC fight.

It sounds obvious, but it can be difficult to cultivate this approach in practice. For a start most of us experience bleed – the term for when your character’s emotions affect you as a player. You’ll often feel the emotions your character feels, so if your character gets thwarted it feels like you’ve been thwarted.

It’s also challenging in a game where you are interacting with players who you’ve never met OOC. Many players have said to me over the years “Oh – they’re nothing like their character…” with an obvious air of surprise, but live roleplaying is about playing someone different to yourself. When you know a player well, it’s much easier to separate their character from them – it’s harder to do with someone you don’t know.

This is one of the reasons we have conduct rules around checking in with other players over conflicts – something that is mandatory in the game if your roleplaying involves hostile confrontations that feature close-quarters shouting or abuse. This lets you check whether the other participant is enjoying the roleplaying – but it’s also useful because it gives them the context to appreciate that it’s your character that is attacking them – not you the player.

Not everyone in Empire will enjoy political PvP – it is a very intense and competitive form of live roleplaying and it’s not to everyone’s tastes. Some people would much rather play other styles, and that’s fine. There’s plenty to do in Empire without doing PvP. Experiences like Song and Story are an incredible part of our game that players have created to interact with each other (PwP) – you can be part of the game without getting involved in the cutthroat politics of the game.

But – if you do get involved in the politics of Empire, if you participate in one of the five houses of the Empire or if you go for an Imperial title, or similar – then you are choosing to participate in the PvP part of the game, with all that entails.

That is NOT “no holds barred” - we have strict rules prohibiting the use of OOC elements such as race, ethnicity, nationality, class, religion, gender, disability, sexuality, transgender status, age, or body shape. Anything that would make the conflict more about the player than the character is generally off limits. We want to have as much IC conflict as possible and as little OOC conflict with it, so we set limits on what PCs can do – but within those limits you should expect other players to oppose you.

The lifeblood of a PvP political game is PCs who have the courage and the dynamism to oppose other PCs. Empire is designed to encourage that – with all the different political channels that conflict can take. The game is not about winning the political battles, it’s about enjoying the conflict that goes into them. The PCs who are actively opposing you are helping to make your game better by doing that – without them there would be no conflict. There would be no drama, no terrible defeats, and no glorious triumphs.

It's crucial then that everyone who takes part in the PvP in Empire keeps firmly in mind that the characters who are opposing you are not the players. Some of our people play villainous characters in Empire – most of them are nothing like their character in real life! And they’re not opposing you they’re opposing your character - and improving the game for everyone by doing that. It’s corrosive if players don’t make the effort to ensure that IC feuds remain purely IC. If we let that infect our OOC thinking then that’s really unfair – people don’t deserve to be thought of badly for the things their character is doing – and it undermines the whole game.

There are always significant political PvP moments in Empire, but this year alone we’ve had Wintermark turning up mob handed to Conclave, the Marchers rough music on the Military Council, votes for the throne, and debates over territory allocation of the Barrens and Spiral. These are just the ones big enough that I know about them – there will be many more than this.

In all of these cases, players should expect other characters to push back hard in opposition to their actions. If you’re trying to change the status quo or defeat your political rivals then you have to expect that other characters will oppose you, often vehemently, and that can be tough if you’re not expecting it. When that happens, it’s important to remember that characters being IC cross at your character are (in an ideal world) not being OOC cross at you the player. It's tough, as even entirely purely IC attacks on your character can feel really personal and hurt OOC!

Equally if you’re reacting to the contentious actions of another PC then you must keep your reactions in-character. Remember if someone is doing something dramatic or causing conflict then it’s the character doing that – not the player – and what they’re doing is exactly what we want PCs in Empire to do – being proactive, pushing agendas, making drama. PCs who are proactive like this are making the game better for everyone.

We want everyone involved in the PvP politics of Empire to remember that the game is no fun if other PCs aren’t trying to oppose you. Please strive to keep in mind that the characters you are interacting with are usually nothing like the players themselves. Do not criticise people OOC for the things their characters are doing, (if you think there is a problem, then talk to your egregores, or our refs or conduct team).

Try to assume IC intent first and respond accordingly to help keep confrontations you are involved with stay purely IC. If you realise that you’re OOC upset by a conflict then pull back from that confrontation and give yourself time to work through your OOC feelings. It should be your character under attack, not you, but if it doesn't feel like that then talk to our team about that. Everyone should play the character, not the ball!

We don’t want to lecture anyone, but we do want to make sure that everyone who plays Empire understands the kind of game we are running and what is expected.

==Cold Weather Camping==
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">Cold Weather Camping</span>
*''This is an article take from the Empire Facebook group by David Stibbards''
So last event people got cold at night, and though we don't expect the same conditions next event this is one of the few areas I am qualified to comment and might be helpful, plus this has been going around in my brain for a while.<br>
Dadford is a cold site and it always will be in April, where the average perceived temperature for mid-April night times is pretty much ZERO. There are a few reasons for this.<br>
- It’s between the Downs and the Cotswolds, which runs SW/NE meaning no wind break from the prevailing wind OR from a cold Northeasterly. Guess which we had that chilly Thursday and Friday night…<br>
- It’s a local valley. The IC camping area is where the cold air from the surrounding area pools – In Dawn and Wintermark especially (which is why it is both Glorious and Heroic to camp there).<br>
- The OC camping is better but even more exposed to the wind – best place to camp is IMHO in the woods with the Navarr/Orc where the warm air gets trapped, but obviously winter means fewer leaves and it’s a mostly deciduous copse IIRC.<br>
- IC tents are COLD. I know, I know, canvas is a better insulator than thin nylon, but that only matters if you are putting out enough warmth to make an appreciable difference in a 15-25 cubic metre bell tent. Which you aren’t unless you are Johnny Storm or your camping troupe is a flesh pit (in both cases slide into my DMs, especially you, Johnny). An OC tent with 3-4 cubic metres of volume will warm up and retain some of that heat.<br>
So tent aside, warmth comes from 3 things;<br>

Sleeping bag<br>
We all know about layering. Great. You need this. But not everyone knows about the ORDER of layers. I heard several people say 'I put a blanket over my sleeping bag but was still cold' for example. Do not do this. Your sleeping bag (or any ‘lofted’ quilt or cover) gains its warmth by having big spaces between the fibres/feathers inside to trap warm air. Placing anything on top of this will compress these fibres and quickly lead to diminishing returns. If you are inside a tent your sleeping bag is best as the outermost layer.
So what should be inside your sleeping bag? Now we are working with a confined space which gives us some helpful constraints – we need to start as close to your skin as possible; if you haven’t joined the pyjama party you are sleeping on (ha ha) the best thing you can do – a dense, close-to skin layer like thermal underwear. Why are tights/leggings warm? Because they trap warm air close to your legs and this exactly the same. Between pyjamas and the sleeping bag we don’t have a lot of space, so light, thin layers are the only real option. The other reason for this is compression again. If your sleeping bag is too small you have probably noticed your knees, hips and elbows getting cold – this is because they press up against the filler of the sleeping bag and basically reduce it to a thin screen. Thick layers will do this for you too – instead go for one or at most two sleeping bag liners – thin, soft people-pockets you wriggle into and form that extra air-catching layer.<br>
As for choice of sleeping bag, there is a risk of getting technical here because the ‘2/3/4 season’ classification is not great and I don’t want to suggest people get a special warm sleeping bag just for cold events. That said, from a major retailer I don’t think there is ever a time/place in the UK I would recommend a 2-season. They just make too many compromises to actually succeed in keeping you warm at the 5 degrees they claim. Go for a 3 season as your default. Make sure it fits, your feet should not quite be at the end and it should be snug but not tight to your body. A hood is ideal, if not you will want to adapt something into one that doubles as a neck baffle.<br>
Consider your body’s natural tendencies, a lot of people may find they are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ sleepers - women particularly will want to take any temperature ratings with a grain of salt as they are strongly gendered and that’s not clear on the labels. Literally, the specification is based on the ‘standard male’ and ‘standard female’. I like to think this couple are Brad and Janet. Most people are probably more Riff-Raff/Magenta.<br>
Wash your sleeping bag you filthy animal. Over time the synthetic fibres (and especially down) lose their loft and/or acquire grease from your body. Wash like its wool and tumble dry if you can with either tennis balls or wool dryer balls. Do this before E1 and you’ll be fine until the end of the year. Unless you are expecting company in which case (1) I suspect you’ll be plenty warm and (2) double sleeping bags are a thing but there is no dignity in hot-pocket hanky-panky. Note that a sleeping bag liner will avoid the need for frequent washes, and extend the life of the bag. There really isn’t a good reason not to pick one up if you can.<br>

Sleeping mat<br>
At this point if you are still cold, it’s either your sleeping bag is just not right for you or what you are sleeping on. Remember compression? A lot of hikers actually use quilts rather than sleeping bags because the bag beneath you is completely compressed – it’s basically worthless. If you have a thick, heavy blanket this is where it should be. But what is beneath that? Most people have a sleeping mat, and this is the only place where I’ll get even slightly technical – there is actually a formal, industry a rating system (R-value) for sleeping mats from 1 upward, 5 is alpine, 1 is a glorified lilo. For good night time warmth in April in the UK 2.5+ a good place to be. That’s not a big ask you’ll find they cost the same as lower ratings as the only real difference at the 1-3 level is thickness. Inflatable pad or solid, this R-value is used for both even at major retailers. A last note on Mylar/reflective blankets – these work ONLY on radiated heat, not conducted. Don’t bother putting these under you.<br>
This does not cover camp beds, and very little has been done to study these (no R-values), but as a general rule of thumb if you use a fishing bed you probably scoff at shivering Citizens but a thin fabric camp bed is probably not ideal – my working theory is though you are off the ground you have maximum circulation beneath you, so while not in contact with the ground directly (the worst of all things) cold air will continue to circulate beneath you, whipping away any leaking warmth from your chilly butt. Hang your blanket over the edges if you have one to prevent this ciruclation. I expect a similar principle applies to large air mattresses – too MUCH air to warm effectively. There are lots of reasons to use this sort of thing but a big thick layer of wool under you (which doesn’t compress like a lofted bag) is the best way to go.<br>

Your insides and you<br>
You can prepare for bed better. Most importantly, think about what you have been eating or drinking. A hot meal will keep you warm into the night, many of us go to bed quite late. If you aim to sleep at time-out but ate dinner at 6/7pm you won’t be getting any benefit from the 2-3 hour boost to your temperature. Have a hot drink before bed and/or eat closer to 9/10pm.<br>
Timing is important for when you go to bed too. Your body cools as you sleep, and is more tolerant of the cold. Get to bed earlier (yeah, right) and your body will cool off as the temperature drops, allowing for a more comfortable night.<br>
Alcohol. Alcohol makes you feel warmer because it opens up your capillaries and flushes your skin. This makes your core colder as the air will greedily whisk away that heat. Once the former wears off you are stuck with the latter – alcohol is very much bad for you if you are cold. (That fictional image of the St Bernard with brandy around its neck is actually a fluffy murder-machine and the only benefit you’d get if you had hypothermia is a goodbye nightcap).<br>

Fin<br>
So that’s the highlights of a lazy Saturday morning for me with maps, topographic and temperature data and rectal body temperature studies. I hope this helps at least one person adapt for April next year!

==Talking to Imperial Positions==
<span style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold;">A Subjective, Incomplete and Flawed Guide</span>
* ''This is an article taken from the Empire Facebook group by Monica Gwizdala, and talks about things to remember when talking to people with [[Imperial title|Imperial titles]].''
'''TLDR: An Imperial title is not a “do not disturb” sign. It’s a signal that that player is very excited about their THING and wants to talk about their thing A LOT.'''<br>
Something I frequently hear from other players is that they are too intimidated, daunted, shy or otherwise put-off talking to people who hold Imperial Titles. Title holders are often very busy-looking, in meetings, surrounded by other people (often other title-holders), and figuring out how to have a word with them can sometimes look like an impossible task.

<big>'''Remember: These people chose this'''</big><br>
Players who have achieved an imperial title are roleplayers who have chosen to engage with that aspect of the game so hard that they got their character a job doing it, usually through the means of convincing other player characters that they were the best/most excited/most interested in whatever the job is.

Typically, a person does this because they want more involvement in that part of the game. More roleplay about it, more access to it, more people coming to them with information about it.

If you have something to talk to them about regarding the thing they got a Title in - congratulations, you might now be a more important priority than whatever bullshit conversation they were just having.

Interrupting people is hard sometimes. A quick “Excuse me, I was hoping to talk to you about YOUR THING” will usually get you in the conversation, or a response of “can you meet me here later when I’m running a session about it” or “give me a minute to finish my drink”. This will at least stop you from hovering around looking sad for random amounts of time.

If you’re too shy or polite to butt into a conversation in-flow, try handing your target a note with your name and desired subject of conversation on it, and then they have the option of engaging with it if they want to. The friends of people with Imperial titles are very used to that person randomly dropping everything to go deal with whatever, and many players would delight at the opportunity to be handed a note by a mysterious stranger and suddenly leave the thing they were doing.

Not every title holder will operate like this. Some have “office hours”. Some will only talk if they are paid to, or if you offer them food or drink. Some are IC snobs and deliberately make accessing them hard unless you fulfil certain requirements based on what they or their culture values. Some might just consider themselves “off duty” after 10pm and refuse to talk business. Typically, they’ll let you know when you approach them, or other players might know how to gain access easily - proxies are particularly good for this. Proxies may also be able to handle your query. Ask!

<big>'''Title Holders are Very Predictable'''</big><br>
Most Imperial titles have certain duties which take place at specific times. Senate, Conclave and Military Council are all on a set schedule every day, and your target or their proxy will usually need to attend their relevant meeting. Outside of this, there will be other publicised appointments for specific title holders. Archmages and Ambassadors get a lot of these - audiences with eternals or foreign diplomats are on a schedule set by Profound Decisions based around availability of NPC crew, but to some extent all title holder (and prominent/plot-involved players) are at the mercy of the meeting and NPC encounter schedule.

In addition to these official duties, many title holders attend player-led meetings and have their own schedule. senators might have a scheduled catch-up with each other in the pub at a specific time on Saturday, grandmasters might want a catch up meeting with the generals late on Friday night, specific nations may have internal events that they attend (Navarr officials taking the time to go to Songs and Stories, Dawnish attending tourneys, etc).

This means that finding a title holder is a matter of lurking around in a place they are likely to be. Most end up doing repeated circuits of the key places for their position. For Generals it’s often home nation > the hub > military council > food > pub > home nation several times a day, other titles have similar patterns. The easiest is to wait outside a scheduled meeting either before it starts, or as it’s ending, and catch them on the way in or the way out.

<big>'''Title Holders are People'''</big><br>
These people with fancy titles are people, too. Specifically, they are other players, just like you. They’ve got an IC job which allows them a specific power which can change the world a little bit, or a lot, but they often need other people’s support to make it work properly.

Most title-related plot at empire doesn't just sit with a single person. If you can't get time with the title holder you had in mind, you can usually try someone else. As an example - a senator may have a proxy and an ic group (steading/spire/house etc) that may know some of what's going on. The other senators of their nation might also have bits of the puzzle, plus their proxies and groups. They may have an IC love interest, or rival, or a priest they're often seen talking to, or other known associates. From looking for a single senator, your potential target pool for the actual info you want has now grown to somewhere between ten and fifty people. Try them instead!

Title holders (and people in general) are also sometimes hangry, sad, cursed, tired or just plain not in the mood for whatever reason. If they want to take some time to themselves and not be available for roleplay with strangers, that's allowed! It's also okay to be disappointed if that happens. Try be kind to each other, OC at the very least. You're more likely to get a positive outcome if you don't act like an entitled jerk to the *player* you're hoping to roleplay with.

My character currently holds an Imperial title, and I spend quite a lot of my event time convincing people that they’re allowed to roleplay with me. There have been so many occasions when an unexpected conversation with a complete stranger has made my day, sometimes my event, and I know I’m not the only one! Your random little question or bit of information could change the world of the Empire, or it could just make someone chuffed that there are people out there that care enough about their silly IC job to seek them out for a chat.

{{CaptionedImage|file=Monica Gwizdala.png|title=Monica Gwizdala plays a Wintermark mystic|align=left|width=300}}

==Choosing your Battles==
* ''This is an article taken from the Empire Facebook group by Monica Gwizdala, and talks about ways the citizen-in-the-street might influence the [[Sentinel_Gate#Major_Conjunctions|major conjunctions]] - the uptime battles the [[muster]] chooses to commit the Imperial heroes to fighting.''
<big>'''An Imperfect Guide to Influencing Major Conjunctions'''</big><br>
Some discussions over the last few weeks have revealed to me that a lot of people don’t know how the Major Conjunctions get chosen and how they can interact with that process, so I’m going to take a stab at demystifying it here!

<big>So, what’s a major conjunction?</big><br>
A major conjunction of the sentinel gate is an opportunity for us to go out on a big, multi-national battle. These are the battles that start at around 10:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays. Half the players can go out and fight as their characters, and the other half will play the baddies, and the following day we swap roles so everybody gets a chance to go on a battle as their character.

<big>'''How do I find out what’s going on?'''</big><br>
'''STEP 1: READ THE WINDS OF WAR'''<br>
The battle opportunities we are presented will be a response to stuff that happened in the military campaign over downtime (this is the big boardgame the military council plays using npc armies). So, if we tried to deploy a battlegroup somewhere and failed, we might have an uptime battle opportunity for our characters to rescue some prisoners, or shank an opposing military commander. If we sent our npc armies somewhere and won, we might get a chance to consolidate that victory by driving out the last of a routed force, or kicking in their teeth and taking their stuff. There’s lots of different things that can come to us as battle opportunities!

The Winds of War will outline the basics of the battle opportunities we’ll be presented with. PD have started to lay out the battle opportunities in a way that’s a lot easier to read and understand (thank you folks!), so it’s now easier than ever to walk into an event with a vague idea of where we might have a battle. Take a look at the [[384YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Battle_Opportunities|battle opportunities]] for the Spring Equinox 384YE more info.

'''STEP 2: HAVE A VAGUE IDEA WHAT THE BIG PICTURE IS'''<br>
It’s a bit difficult to do in downtime, but if you hang out with the military council for long enough during events, you’ll start to pick up on certain things that will let you intuit what the military council’s priorities are likely to be. The big boardgaming campaign tends to utilise strategies that run for multiple seasons. For example, if you know that the MC is currently prioritising securing a specific territory (let’s say Reikos), you can reasonably think that they will be more amenable to choosing uptime battles which either take place in, or support, the push towards Reikos.

Even without talking to any of the generals or various aides around the military council, there’s a few things you can figure out from just looking at the list and considering the nations involved and their national priorities and culture. All nations under attack will have an interest in anything that secures their own borders. The Marches will argue very strongly for taking any battle that helps secure their backyard. The Freeborn will often find a compelling argument for anything that sounds the most outright FUN. Dawn tend to like consolidating gains, Highguard often lean towards protecting the underdogs. These aren’t hard and fast rules, and individual generals will have their pet projects, nations will have their favourite enemies, people will have their opinions on what potential result has the most value to them.

For example, our imaginary battle opportunity in Reikos (a Highguard territory), to fight the Druj, may not get the support of the Highguard generals. There may be another battle opportunity presented that while it does not directly affect Reikos, will disrupt the Druj army resupply in another territory, which means the Druj are less likely to send extra troops to fight in Reikos, which makes it more likely that we can secure Reikos in the larger campaign. That might look like a weird decision if you don’t know the shape of the campaign, but makes perfect sense in-context!

<big>'''So how do I get involved with this decision?'''</big><br>
'''STEP 1: UNDERSTAND MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CHOICES'''<br>
Battle opportunities can often only be taken on a certain day, which is usually described in the battle opportunity section in the Winds of War, but sometimes we have not known about until military council begins at 8pm on Friday.

The boardgame campaign might benefit from a player-battle victory in Reikos, Feroz AND Semmerholm, but if they are all only available on the Sunday? We’ll have to pick one and leave the others.

'''STEP 2: UNDERSTAND THAT TIME IS THE REAL ENEMY'''<br>
The Military Council is obliged to choose both the weekend’s battles, their field marshal, and the composition of the nations going to fight them during Friday night’s military council session, which begins at 8pm and is required to end by 10pm.

This means, if you have an opinion on which battle you’d like to do, you have two hours from time-in on Friday to find a sympathetic General and make your pitch to them. As a hint, we tend to start gathering at the military council tent by 7:30 to have a gossip and catch up.

'''STEP 3: BATTLE OBJECTIVES, OR “BE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING TO CHANGE AT 8:05PM”'''<br>
As we arrive for Friday’s military council, Generals are handed a stack of paperwork. This includes the full write-up of all available battle opportunities, with much more detail than what was released in the Winds of War ahead of time. Critically, this will also lay out the actual victory conditions of each battle (mandatory and bonus objectives), the full consequences for winning, and the full consequences for losing. Sometimes, these can instantly change the disposition of the Council towards one opportunity or another.

Examples of things that have been in these briefings that have changed the mind of the council at 8:05pm include:
* “There’ll be a pile of summer regios with summer heralds pouring out of them constantly, shattering weapons”
* “We’ll need a mobile team of exorcists and buckets of liao to complete this objective”
* “If we don’t take this battle opportunity, one of our NPC amies will not be able to withdraw, and will be destroyed”
* “The enemy will have ice giants”
* “To win this we need to pull off a simulcast of five rituals at different points across the field while being attacked by murder sharks”
While I think PD are moving away from dropping so many wild paradigm shifts on us at 8pm on Friday, the full briefings do clarify points and can still change the mood of the generals present *without us even talking to each other*.

One of the first things we do at 8pm Friday Military Council is read the battle opportunities aloud for all present, and are given the opportunity to clarify any unclear points with the military council NPCs that hang around for the session.

If you’ve had your opinion at a General between 6pm and 8pm on Friday, come along to the first council meeting, heard a battle briefing and *immediately changed your mind*, the easiest way to inform your General would be to write a note and pass it to them. If something has come up that you want to speak on, summarise your point in your note and ask your General friend if they can recognise you to address the council to discuss it. They might let you talk, or they might not, but you can ask!

<big>'''So we’ve picked some battles… Now what?'''</big><br>
We’ll need to pick a field marshal for each battle, and balance the force weightings so we have a roughly even split of players for each battle. Force weightings is an admin task that involves doing maths on the spot. You can more or less guarantee that Wintermark will be on one day, and Dawn and Navarr will be on the other, with all the other nations sort of fitting around these huge lumps of players. These three nations have got to the point where they are all so big, if they fight in any other configuration it messes up the balance of the battles and is broadly not mechanically possible to do. Which sucks as I like fighting with Navarr, but that’s the price of being from the biggest nation!

Field marshal is chosen from whoever is nominated or volunteers. You don’t have to be a general to put your name forward, but if you’re not a General it helps to tell one that you want to stand for Field Marshal before the session, so they can recognise you to speak and nominate you.

It is incredibly unlikely you will be chosen as field marshal if you are not in the room when we pick one, so if you want it, show up.

<big>'''We’ve got our battles, Field Marshals and force split - so now what do I do?'''</big><br>
If you want to have an active role in the battle, or just want to know what’s going to happen in very fine detail, the Imperial War Scout usually arranges a meeting for later on to discuss the specifics with the Field Marshal and various battle captains of the nations.

Otherwise, a really helpful thing to do is to run back to your own nation and let them know which day, where and who they’re fighting, which day they’re monstering, and who they’re monstering as. PD try and get the notices up in the loos as soon as possible after we choose, but more people spreading the word means fewer lost and confused people.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Matt Heath.jpg|title=Matt Heath plays Ehud, a Highborn benefactor|align=left|width=300}}

==Talking about the Bourse==
* ''Matt Heath has had a lot of experience of Empire's economic game, both as an egregore and as a player in Highguard. He's written some of thoughts arising from his observations about how the [[Bourse]] operates that might be of interest. (05/05/2022)''
The [[Bourse]] is but one aspect of the Empire economic game and largely, but not entirely, functions on the scale of commodity trading. It is not a stock market and couldn't be without significantly more Profound Decisions created narrative infrastructure and I don't think that will provide what you might think it would.

Currently the Bourse [[Auction_of_the_Seats|seat auction]], the part of the Bourse that captures headlines and drives senate spending, generally has more cartels/investment groups than there are seats at any single election. This has led to an upward price pressure generally until the one seat auction where less bidders were present than seats - and caused a massive issue for the [[Senate]]. Because the funds from the seat auction feed the Senate there is a continually cycle present there, but it is more complicated than that really. No one buys a seat without an expectation of return on investment and that means a layer of margin that gets applied to the purchase price. Because of how some investment groups work they add a further inflationary price as they resolve out part wain shares or other commitments required by their consortium (ie the Highguard [[benefactor|Benefactors]] pay a wage to the seat holder). So it looks like the Imperial bourse seats should be stuck in a continually rapid inflationary cycle....

Ah but! National Bourse seats. While these are not present for every nation enough do have them that they need to be considered part of the mix. These seats are generally elected by the "well worn path" of election nationally, or by a specific character resource choice. So this is politics. Much more directly than the Imperial seat auctions. Because of this these wains generally enter the Empire's economy without the kinds of costs applied that the Imperial Seats carry. They create space for cheap wains, for national or imperial projects or for someone to make an absolute killing if they decide to go heavy on the cash sales. There are groups out there that have leveraged the holding of national bourse seat holdings for a year or so to advance their personal resources - which in some cases supports further election planning.

And then there are ministries, wayleaves and the such like. Often they are dismissed by lots of those both within and without the bourse but bear some study. The [[Cinderpath_Custodian|Cinderpath Exchange]] for instance (being the one I am most familiar with) allows the holder of the seat to buy wains of [[white granite]] at 3 Thrones per, while the sale price for same on the field sits somewhere in the 5-6 Thrones range. Not all of these function in the wains market and that in itself can give them levels of flexibility that those focused on the wains can see.

Sitting under the wains markets are those of mana crystals, artisans materials, and [[liao]], all of which can be quite vibrant and fluid. A mana crystal can sell for anywhere from under one Crown to over two, and currently is probably the most valuable personal resource to choose at character generation, but require some effort to turn into cash. [[Business|Businesses]] and [[farm|farms]] do not ask for that effort.

There is immense value in these markets though. About four Anvils ago a new trader in [[the Brass Coast]] started trading with me. By the end of the first summit they had moved from materials and into single wains. By the start of the third summit they were moving multiple wains in single transactions. Last Bourse seat auction they were part of the bidding on the floor. As far as I can see they made that through walking and building a network of trade contracts and exploiting the arbitrage type opportunities between different in field markets.

==Authority, Influence, Honourifics, and Imperial Titles==
* ''Matt writing in response to a Wintermark player talking about the [[All_lift_together#Game_Design_:_Titles_and_Honorifics|Game Design : Titles and Honourifics]] part of the [[All lift together]] Wind of Fortune (27/03/2022''
In respect of the Thanes Council, I would strongly encourage people to worry less about what it's OOC role is... and worry more about what it's IC role is. The Thane's council is an amazing thing the players have created that opens up a lot of avenues for roleplaying around ideas of influence and power. That's awesome – that's what a roleplaying game like Empire is all about. There are similar concepts in several other nations (Earl's Council in Dawn, Brands in Navarr and so on).

They're great – and one of the reasons they're great is that it's impossible to tell what they're for. Maybe the function of the Thanes Council is to rule Wintermark with an iron grip. Meeting in secret, those invited to its ranks decide who will get every major position of power within Wintermark's purview and enforce their decisions with iron discipline. Maybe the function of the Thanes Council is to provide support to the heroes of the nation, open to anyone who calls themselves a Thane it works to support senators and generals by ensuring they're aware of the heroic deeds of the nation's finest.

Those are two radically different Thanes Councils. Which one is it? You could decide that out-of-character. Everyone could get together out-of-character to agree on a vision of the Thanes council and then everyone could out-of-character agree to out-of-character support that approach. I suspect my sentence construction might have already convinced you that I don't think that approach produces the most interesting game in the field. As a purely out-of-character construction, the thing doesn't allow for or create much game in my view as a game designer (players are entitled to have different views).

But as a thing you can fight over in-character, as a thing you can try to push in-character to be what you want it to be? That's amazing. As part of Empire's game design we try to ensure that there are loads of things for people to politic over – but the thing you really really want is for players to create whole new layers of political shenanigans and intrigue. So as an in-character structure that people push for or sideline, promote or demote, control or destroy – that's a thing that can create a lot of game.

In terms of whether the Council can “rule” or not, I think that's the wrong way to think about the problem. I tend to look at “power” in socio-political games along three axis, might, authority and influence. Might, particularly in live roleplaying games is about how much raw physical power you have. How many hits do you have, how much damage do you do. In socio-political games it's often the least important axis – right up until it's not (usually the point where you and I are trying to kill each other with rubber swords).

Authority is a crucial type of power that gives you the right to do something specific in the game. In Empire the Throne has the authority to declare war (but not peace). A nation's senators have the authority to appoint a general. A general has the authority to order the disposition of their army.

Empire puts a lot of effort into splitting authority up into countless different parcels and giving it out to hundreds of different people. An archmage has the authority to summon an eternal to parley. A bourse resource holder has the authority to dispose of their resources as they see fit. It's still trickle down – but it's massively distributed trickle. There aren't just a few positions who really control everything – control – in the sense of “authority” is distributed very widely. The game then includes cardinal dogmatic rules designed to protect that distribution – like the fact that you can't force another player what to do with their authority – you can't hold two Imperial titles at once – and so on.

Authority in Empire is linked to Imperial titles – if you want to wield authority – you have to have a title. You can't have a legal power in Empire beyond the votes provided by your skills or resources and background unless you have an Imperial title. Titles – in Empire – are the mechanism by which authority is distributed.

You could make Imperial titles for your Thanes Council – I think players have wisely opted not to do that. But you could. You could have some sinecure “Speaker for the Thanes” - the problem is that the authority you could give them (an income of 10 ingots) doesn't remotely match what you might want the position to hold and the authority you might want to give them (power to shoot people out of cannons) won't be constitutional (read PD won't let you).

But there is a third kind of power – and that's influence. Influence is the people who listen to you and do what you tell them. There are no game limits on the amount of influence that you can have in Empire – the only limits are what are set by your charisma and how hard you work at it. Influence can be the most significant, most important kind of power in a socio-political game, because it can determine everything. You might have ten times as many hits as I have... but if I have ten times as many friends as you have – I'll probably win that fight between us... You can only have one title – only have the legal powers of one title – but you exert influence over every title-holder in the game.

One way to think of Empire is that Imperial titles are the pinnacle of power that you can reach in the game – the way to maximise your authority. The better the title you have – the more authority you have.

The other way to approach Empire is to think of Imperial title holders as chess pieces in your game. They're just the playing pieces on the board – albeit intelligent pieces you have to convince to make the move you want them to. If your game is about accruing influence, then it doesn't remotely matter what title you have or what authority you have. What matters is how much influence you have...

I personally would expect that in Empire, things like the Thanes Council work best when they think about the game in terms of influence.

On the subject of the seven positions that the Council appoints, and how they fit into all of this then I think it's worth thinking about whether you want those positions to have might, authority or influence.

Now someone mentioned that “PD seems to want us to go the way of Imperial title” - I want to go on record as saying “PD doesn't give a crap what you do!” Seriously, honestly, we do not mind, whether you make positions into Imperial titles or you leave them as honourific titles. Whether you go left or right on a decision like that doesn't matter to us. What we do want is for you to understand the game... and if you're looking for these positions to have authority – then we want to present you with ways you might do that and give you options. We want you to know that that is a possibility, what it entails, and what might happen. All was want is for you to make <em>informed</em> choices about what you're doing.

If you want them to have authority, then you need to make them Imperial titles – because that's how “authority” in the sense of the legal ability to do things, works in Empire. If you want them to have “might” (I don't know why you would want that) then you probably want to find ways to arrange for them to have powerful enchantments cast on them and be given powerful magic items and potions.

If you want them to have influence – then just giving them a title is less useful. To give them influence you might want to big them up in various ways – statements of principle, pushing them at nation meetings, and so on. That's a part of the game that PD are not involved with. The game of influence goes on behind our backs – which is exactly where we want it to happen. Who has influence in Empire is something we have no knowledge, and want no knowledge of – knowing that would only distort our ability to umpire the game fairly. If you want these titles to be about influence – then we have nothing to say about them that is interesting or relevant – and we're very happy with that. You play Empire – we're just the umpire!

There is an interesting issue with the skirmish coordinators – or whatever you want to call that role. That's an area that has developed over time – and has a profound OOC element to what it's doing – in terms of the way it rations access to fun. Players have invented it to cover a clear need – and one where OOC fun is being largely prioritised over IC politics. It's classically an area that PD would try to handle (because we try to do the dull OOC fairness stuff and leave the fun IC politics to you) but where we have been conspicuously absent. That's largely because we don't yet have the answers – but we're watching what the players are doing in terms of developing a code of best practice with a lot of interest and general “hmmm.... that looks positive”. But I think the position is fairly unique in that respect – players are fixing a clear design flaw in Empire's game - I would be wary of applying what you've identified with that position to any other part of the game. But carry on with what you're doing please – at least until PD just finds a way to magically solve all the problems you're currently fixing as best you can.

==Vines and Archetypes==
* ''Matt writing about archetypes with particular reference to the idea of making new ones.'' (14/02/2021)
We've had a couple of emails recently asking about vines, so I thought it would be useful to do a quick post talking about archetypes, what they are, and why you can't pick vine in a dropdown in the character creation menu. It's a long post - so the summary is first!
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Summary</p>
Vines are not currently an archetype in Navarr, even though they are widely discussed at Anvil. If the players want them to be widely acknowledged across the nation so that they become an accepted part of the brief then there are a number of challenges that they'll have to overcome in play first.

<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Detail</p>
In Empire, archetypes represent social roles that exist in a culture in a way that is widespread throughout a nation. They were a fairly new idea for us when we were writing Empire and some of the writing is a little hit and miss because it was an idea we were developing as we went along. But essentially archetypes represent a social niche in the world - more than just "a job description" - they're a set of attitudes and expectations all wrapped up in one.

A good example of a solid archetype is the Wintermark grimnir. The wiki says that grimnir are "Wintermarkers who have dedicated themselves to the healing arts." In theory that's just a Wintermark name for healer then? Except that the wiki also says that Grimnir swear oaths to foreswear partaking in battle - in essence, they give up the opportunity to be the big I AM on the battlefield - and that essential sacrifice (and in Wintermark eyes giving that up is a big sacrifice) is noted and respected by everyone else in the nation. The grimnir becomes a hero - and is treated as one - precisely because they choose to do something that might otherwise be overlooked in a nation that lionises heroism.

You can absolutely play a healer in Wintermark who is not a grimnir. That's a perfectly sound characterisation - and helps to make grimnir cooler. After-all if there are some warriors who plunge into battle and get their fight on - and then help out healing wounds afterwards then that just makes the sacrifice of the grimnir all the more meaningful. You can play a grimnir who is a magician, of a physician. You could probably play one who was an artisan or a trader with a bit of effort and a good plan. What makes the grimnir archetype meaningful is that it is embedded in the wider social fabric of Wintermark society. Everyone knows what one is, everyone knows what they do. If you say you are grimnir then people know, without asking, something meaningful about you.

You can't play a grimnir who gets stuck into battle and fights with the other warriors. That literally makes no sense - because grimnir are healers who don't fight. That concept defines what they are.

When I say "people" then I really mean anyone who has read that bit of the wiki... Obviously, if you haven't read the Wintermark brief - then you won't know what a grimnir is. That's cool for most characters - why would a League character know what a grimnir was - especially if they weren't the kind of metropolitan character who had been to Anvil loads of times before? It's more tricky if you're playing a Wintermark character - but Wintermark is a big place... I'm British but I don't know everything there is to know about being British! As Eddie Izzard said - "Some people are widely read... I'm thinly read, I've read fuck all".

The wiki represents our description of the wider setting - the descriptions of Wintermark represent a best attempt to define the many hundreds of thousands of people who live in Wintermark. We encourage people who are coming to Empire for the first time to read the basic wiki pages for their nation so that they know the culture they're from. That helps them make characters that reflect their background and arms them with the knowledge they need to have meaningful conversations with other characters. If something is on the wiki for Dawn - then you know it's true for "the nation of Dawn".

But that doesn't tell you anything at all about the Dawnish PCs who attend Empire. Players make their own characters - we do a rough check of backgrounds to ensure they're factually consistent with the setting - but nothing beyond that. It's neither practical nor desirable for us to be continually updating the wiki to try and convert it from being a description of "the nation" into "the gross of people who turn up to Anvil four times a year to run the country". We'd be constantly chasing our tails and for something of no value at all.

Crucially the point is that Marcher players can change the nature of what Marcher players at Anvil believe at any time they want. The Marcher players can decide that hard work is futile and silly and rich powerful people like themselves should pay other people to do the work for them and anyone who thinks otherwise is naive. But 150 Marchers at Anvil deciding that - doesn't change the way 1,500,000 Marchers who live in the Empire think or feel. The wiki isn't attempting to tell you about people at Anvil - it's telling you what the nation thinks.

That can cause some cognitive dissonance - people understandably expect everyone ''else'' to be following the brief. But actual live roleplayers play living breathing characters that develop over time as our characters grow - so we're all departing from the brief to a greater or lesser extent all the time. We have neither the inclination nor the time to track those changes.

What we will do is update the wiki when historical events change the nation's history, or when the actions of the PCs are so significant that they cause widespread cultural ramifications that change a nation's culture. The Marchers at Anvil might decide hard work is for the birds - but that doesn't change the wiki. But if the Marchers at Anvil used the Synod and other tools at their disposal then they could take actions that would affect hundreds of thousands of Marchers across the Empire. And that could be reflected on the wiki.

Such changes are not easy. Culture is hard to shift in the real world, let alone in a world with egregores providing magic glue to keep it static. Let me know the last time you listened to a real-world politician giving a speech about whatever the issue of the day was and as a direct result you thought "Gosh - they're completely right! I'm going to completely rethink my values and change my life decisions as a result of that speech." ...I'll wait. Change is hard.

And in Empire change is expensive. That's not because Andy and I are lazy and don't like writing wiki pages. I mean we are - but we ''love'' writing. I've just knocked off a couple of thousand words because today is Sunday and I'm bored... but change is expensive ''by design''. It's intentional.

That's because we're playing a live roleplaying game - and the point of the game is to ''strive''. I'll let you into a little secret about Empire. I'm one of the game designers and I have no clue how this game ends. I don't know where it's going, I don't know when it will get there, I don't know what will happen when it does. I don't know. And if I had a crystal ball and could look 10 or 20 years into the future... I hope I'd have the willpower not to look. It doesn't make a book more fun to read if you flick to the ending first...

Empire is NOT about the ending - it's about the journey. It's not about where you going, it's about what happens on the way. It's not about where you end up, it's about who you met while you were going there. It's about ''striving'' - it's about facing hardship and finding ways to overcome that.

So loads of stuff in Empire is deliberately hard by design. I mean it wouldn't be difficult for us to make it easy for the Empire to beat the Orcs. We could have made that very easy for you all. But I doubt many people who like Empire would think the game would have been better as a result. It's hard to beat the orcs by design. It's hard to do loads of things in Empire - deliberately so - so that to achieve those things you have to strive. You have to work hard, you have to make sacrifices, you have to overcome difficulties. These are the things of which great stories are made.

Changing the world is well up there. It can be done - you can convince a nation to outlaw slavery - you can convince 1/3rd of Highguard to abandon their home and go on a great pilgrimage - you can lead a schism in your faith. But it's difficult and it's expensive - and it comes at great sacrifice. You can't change the Empire world simply by convincing everyone at anvil that the world has changed. It's harder than that - a lot harder - and it's painful.

And ''that's'' why vines aren't on the wiki! It's super-cool that the Navarr players at Anvil want to create a cool new archetype that takes the role of healer and gives it a unique social status and role in society - that puts limitations on what a vine can do, or how they act, or who can be one (An archetype has to be much more than "just a healer" because the Navarr already have a word for a healer and that word is "healer"). That sort of world-changing event is exactly what Empire is about as a game - but you're attempting to do one of the most difficult things in the game (change the world) and you'd better believe that doing it will be hugely expensive and difficult!

At the moment very few Navarr outside Anvil know what the vines are - or care. It's a thing that some Navarr at Anvil came up with - it's as meaningful to the average Navarr as the Bilderberg Group is to the average American. They don't really know much about it - and they have no reason to care. Most Navarr have never heard of vines - so they're not on the wiki. If you come to Anvil and they say "Have you heard of the vines" then the "correct" campaign response is "No - I've never been to Anvil before - tell me more". Now it's perfectly fine to play someone who has heard of the vines - maybe your character's best friend has told you all about them. But every person creating a new character in the Navarr can legitimately be finding out about them for the first time.

So vines aren't on the wiki - because they're an Anvil thing not a "Navarr" thing. And they're not an option in character creation because it's not something that exists in the wider setting yet. That's not set in stone - it could change. As I said, the world changes and responds to what the players do. But it takes more than just "agreement" - you need to seize the moment (which requires waiting until the moment exists, or making the moment happen).

And you can bet that if the moment comes, then it will demand a high price. Higher than you want to pay - otherwise we go our job wrong. "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." - Thomas Paine said that. You can learn a lot about my game design ideas by reading a few cheap Thomas Paine quotes on Wikiquote... 🙂

For the vines to become relevant across the Navarr nation, would need many things - there would need to be a clearly elucidated definition of what a vine was that was much more than "just a healer" and which had been communicated to the nation as a whole. And that thing would need to be meaningful in some way to those people, it would need to catch the imagination of the wider nation and come at a point where it made clear sense to accept this dramatic new change. That is not guaranteed to happen - but it could do at some point - and if it does then it will come at great cost (just as most changes in Empire do) so that whether or not the Navarr want to do it becomes a thing to be roleplayed about.

Seeking to create an archetype is a cool in-character agenda. Precisely because it is a legitimate in-character goal that means it's not something to be advanced on Facebook or social media! Likewise, you don't need to email Profound Decisions us about your plans - all the levers you need to change the setting exist in the game for players to pull. So by all means discuss the game or this post - but please don't post your own ideas about what vines are or what they should be on social media. That is something to be discussed and argued over in-character in Empire. One day soon we'll all be back in a field and then people can argue over the vines to their heart's content!

==Video Diaries==
* ''Matt wrote this ahead of the "virtual Event One" and we've copied it here so we have the text on the wiki in case we need it.'' (21/07/2020)
After a long discussion with the moderators we've agreed to relax some of our strict moderations rules for one week, starting today, to let people post in-character posts and videos to the facebook groups. The aim is to let people post things like videos of themselves in costume, talking to camera, so that everyone who wants to can share something about Empire over the event weekend.

Traditionally we have taken a fairly tough line with regard to online roleplaying. We've allowed people to email IC letters and allowed IC posters on the facebook groups provided they did not include anything contentious but nothing more than that.

We've taken that hard line because Empire is built on the social interactions that take place between participants. The game *is* the discussions about matters of strategy, politics, and faith. Obviously it's also a game of wars and battles, of rituals and negotiations with eternals. But a crucial part of Empire is the roleplaying that takes place between players. If that shifts to an online medium between events - then our view is that that is to the deteriment of the events themselves and of everyone who attends them.

But - for the time being you can't attend an event! We're aware that a lot of people would like to be in a field roleplaying over this coming weekend, heck knows that we would, but that can't happen. So we want people to stay enthused for Empire until we can once more be in a field together. Getting into character, getting into costume, or seeing your friends in kit and in character can remind us all what we enjoy so much about Empire.

So as an experiment, we've decided to lift our normal restrictions on posting IC content to facebook and the forums for one week only. What we'd like to see are posts from people talking about our game, either talking out of character about things you've enjoyed, or in character about things that you've done. We'd like to see it in text, and we'd like to see it in video, either done in or out of kit.

It's important to stress that although we are relaxing the rules prohibiting IC content on the facebook groups for this week - the normal rules for behaviour at events still apply. We've created a wiki page for the rules for this week which is [[Online roleplaying|here]]. '''EDIT:''' We removed the rules about online roleplaying during lockdown on 27/01/2022.

Crucially this means that anything that breaks our conduct rules can get in the sea - there's no place for that in Empire. It also means that anything you post still needs to be related to Empire - we want to use this week to celebrate the game and to share it - so posts not about Empire will still get cut.

We're also asking people to try as hard as possible to avoid contentious stuff or pushing personal agendas in anything they post. It's cool to talk about personal stuff - either you or your character. It's cool to tell us your hots and nots about Empire. We want to see you videos with characters in kit roleplaying!

But what we'd like to avoid is stuff that means other players feel obliged to post IC rebuttals to. We don't know when the next Empire event will be - but we'd still like to save that conflict for the field if we can! Posting a cool story about an encounter with a Jotun your character had is ace - posting a call-to-arms to invade Sermersuaq to drive the Jotun out is not.

Please make sure you follow the normal rules about sticking things in the most appropriate group. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then it's fine to post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group.

We don't know how many videos are likely to go up - but videos are notoriously difficult to moderate. I've promised my team that they don't have to watch every video. If something needs taking down for any reason, then players will report it and then we'll take a look at the video. If you need to report a video, then if possible please include a link to the post, and tell us the issue you've identified along with the timestamp where it takes place. We want to make sure we can find and deal with any problems quickly and this will help us do that.

This is very much a response to the current situation - and we're excited to seeing how this trial run turns out. As already mentioned, we're working flat out to see how much we can release over the coming weekend - but we're looking forward to seeing what you come up with as well!
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Diplomacy and Negotiation.png|align=left|width=450|caption=Ambassador Accalon trying to talk some Wintermarkers into (or more likely out of) something.}}</div>
==An Introduction to Ambassadors==
* ''A piece about being an ambassador and playing around with Empire's international diplomacy game by Joshua de Mooi, the [[Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic]].'' (01/06/2020)
So, I've been meaning to write this for a while. I remember seeing [[#In_Praise_of_an_Imperial_Position| a post by the player of the Master of the Mint]] and them talking about the in character position and what they enjoyed about it. Since then, I've been meaning to do something similar. The character I play is the current [[Ambassador]] to the Sumaah Republic. I've noticed that, whilst game surrounding foreign relations quite often ends up involving a lot of people but the number of people I see trying to stand for these positions I feel is low. Perhaps this is just me and my perspective but I do think explaining a bit about the game, why it's fun, what can be done and ways to get involved couldn't hurt (though if mods do think otherwise, do delete). Anyway, I hope some people find this is either useful or entertaining.

Before a start, a few caveats. 1) I'm going to try and refrain from giving my opinion on in-character (IC) matters. 2)These are my thoughts and don't represent either my character, or more importantly, that of other players. 3) I'm going to try to avoid giving away too much in-game information. The idea here is to encourage and facilitate a part of the game.

Firstly, who are the diplomatic corps? The diplomatic corps is an unofficial term that has become the default to refer to the people occupying the positions that directly related to foreign relations. It is comprised of all the ambassadors, the imperial consul and chaplain consular (maybe the voice of liberty too but that position is still fairly new). We currently have ten ambassadors [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavea]], [[Axos]], [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|the Broken Shore]] (the [[Grendel]]), the [[Commonwealth]], [[Faraden]], the [[Iron Confederacy]], [[Principalities of Jarm|Jarm]], [[Otkodov]] (the [[Thule]]), the [[Sarcophan Delves]] and the [[Sumaah Republic]]. Other positions are affected by foreign relations, notably several ministries, such as the [[Quaymaster of the Black Sails]] and the [[Overseer of the Cavabianca Dock]], though, in my experience, the holders of these positions rarely directly participate in foreign diplomacy.

I'll quickly talk briefly about the [[Imperial Consul|Consul]] and the [[Chaplain Consular|Chaplain]] here, as the rest of this post will try to focus on specifically the ambassadors positions. I have no first-hand experience playing these positions but I will detail what I know. The Chaplain is unique in that it is the only member of the diplomatic corps appointed through the [[Synod]], rather than the [[Senate]]. The Chaplain acts almost like the confessor to the diplomatic corps and offers guidance to the ambassadors. They also have the power to call to Inquisition on an ambassador once per event. They're also expected to learn about foreign religions. The consul acts almost as the Senatorial counterpart to the Chaplain. They engage with the other ambassadors so that they may present any diplomatic issues to the Senate. They also act as an ambassador to any nation with which the Empire doesn't have an ambassador to. This can be to large, prominent nations such as the Jotun or Druj as well as to numerous, smaller, more obscure nations.

What do ambassadors do? Strictly speaking, ambassadors have a small set of powers that allow them to develop relations with a foreign nation. The most foundational power an ambassador has is that they receive a [[Ambassador#Briefing|seasonal report]] on the current issues relating to the specific foreign nation. A report for each nation is given to the corresponding ambassador and it details opportunities made possible to the Empire, and other ongoing affairs. These reports are given exclusively to the ambassadors, and nor are they made public or put on the wiki.

The second power the ambassador has is to [[Ambassador#Delegation| receive delegations]]. This only happens sporadically and depends on the current situation but does occasionally lead to meetings with NPC's sent to talk about a variety of matters.

The last power is the capacity to create a [[Ambassador#Treaty|treaty]]. Probably the most iconic power, it is also the least frequently used. More often than not, treaties are usually hashed out during meetings with foreign delegates and can encompass nearly anything, though they usually are checked by civil servants to make sure they aren't game-breaking. Once a treaty is made you then need to find a [[Senator]] to make a motion putting your treaty forward and the Senate then vote on it.

I find much of the game of playing an ambassador comes from the stuff you do when not using the position's powers. Responding to situations raised by foreign nations generally requires some interaction with other players. This can be things such as raising money, getting support for a motion, or statement of principle to organising places in certain skirmish groups. This is where I spend most of my time and can mean you're interacting with lot's people from various parts of the game.

The other element that's important in the ambassadorial game is sending letters. Whilst there is no direct impetus to send a letter to your corresponding foreign nation every event, it is very much an unwritten rule. Letters are sent through the use of the [[Call Winged Messenger]] ritual, which is a ritual that is core to the diplomatic game. These letters update the foreign nation (and the team running the game) on the things you have been doing, providing updates on various situations and help form the basis for the report the ambassador will receive for the next event. There are various ways to approaching letter writing to NPC's, there was a post made a while back about contacting [[eternal|eternals]] that had a lot of transferable information. My approach boils down to putting in as many different points of interest or levers as possible and see which ones I get a response about.

This system of writing a letter and seeing the response in your next report can mean communication with foreign nations is slow. Not only does this reflect a certain degree of realism, as a lot of these nations are far away but also acts as a purposeful feature. Having only letters both limits what information can be sent, forcing you to prioritise only the most important information and also adds gravity to the times when delegations do come and conversations can happen in person.

Why is playing an ambassador fun? The most important question is why is this part of the game fun. For me, there are a couple of reasons. What I like above all, is the capacity to use your imagination. You can try to engage a foreign nation on any subject you want and how imaginative you are in making that subject appealing to the foreign nation can dictate your success. Each nation has its concerns and areas of interest and creating an appeal to those concerns can get them to care about notionally unrelated things. For example, the vallorn and the Sumaah have little in common and the vallorn they no common connection, yet presenting an imaginative appeal led to the Sumaah sending a delegate to come and talk to various people about it. The capacity and limits of the ambassadorial role are very broad and are seen in things like to ceding of Feroz to the Grendel as part of the peace treaty and the Liberty Pact. It also highlights the deep-reaching, player-led situations that can be achieved through the ambassadorial positions.

Another part of the game that's great is the freedom it grants you. Whilst many other roles, such as Senators, [[General|Generals]], [[Grandmaster|Grandmasters]], and [[Archmage|Archmages]] require you to work with others, ambassadorial positions come with a large amount of autonomy. While big changes and events usually require a treaty and thus senatorial approval, the actual policy and direction taken towards a foreign nation is largely at the discretion of the ambassador. Having sole access to the foreign report grants a lot of control to the ambassador about how the empire will respond to any given situation. Similarly, much of the day to day, informal interactions between ambassadors and their foreign counterparts don't require any external support and can, therefore, be at the complete discretion of the ambassador.

Another great part about playing an ambassador is, unlike other roles, it isn't quite some time-consuming. This point will vary between ambassadors (I know some who do spend their entire event engaging in-game around being an ambassador) and will vary depending on the specifics of each foreign relation. Some events, the ambassadorial game has taken most of my time, such as the events in which the Liberty Pact was signed. Conversely, some games have had a much lighter schedule. There is usually a capacity to make game as an ambassador, though there is also plenty of time to do other things as well, should you desire. I think the role might be useful for any players that have mobility issues as I think the lighter schedules as compared to other positions might make the physical demand lighter (especially if there is someone to support you in the role).

Finally, the other point I'd mention about the ambassadorial game is the other members of the diplomatic corps. Whilst not an official body, most ambassadorial players do meet regularly and the game between ambassadors is a lot of fun. Sharing information and trying to create a consistent foreign policy can produce both co-operative and competing relations with other ambassadors. All in all, the people playing in the diplomatic corps are great and make the game a lot of fun!

How to get involved? It's been a suspicion of mine for while that not knowing how to get involved is the biggest barrier to entry in this part of the game. I think the best way to get involved in the game is to come along to the Friday night 'meeting'. This is when, on the Friday evening of every event, most ambassadors congregate around the Imperial Offices and the Hub in anticipation of their reports. This usually takes a while as it's never really certain exactly when the reports will be ready, so this is a good time to catch any particular member of the diplomatic corps if you want to speak to them. Often we have a meeting when the reports arrive where we each go over stuff we want to share in the reports (though if and when that meeting happens depends on who's around and what time it is). Sitting in on those meetings and listening is a good way to get involved too, find out what's going on and which ambassadorial spots will be up for election. I know at least one person who attended meetings for a while before going for one of the open ambassadorial spots and getting it.

Another way is to simply contact the foreign nation yourself. This can be a bit tricky as they won't always reply but if you can figure out a way to gain their attention, especially on an avenue that's not currently being explored, then there is a possibility. This, of course, won't automatically get you an ambassadorial position but it may lead to foreign engagement as well as a platform should you stand for election against an incumbent. It worked for me, so it's possible.

Is there room for the Diplomatic Corps to expand? Yeah, there is plenty of potential room for the diplomatic corps to expand!. To create a new ambassadorial position, an embassy must be created to a nation with which the Empire does not already have an embassy. Creating an embassy is expensive but is certainly possible. Once the embassy is complete, an ambassador to that nation can be appointed. Embassies can be built to nations that the Empire is at war with. Whilst this will likely mean the ambassador cannot access the ministry that comes with the embassy, they can still act as an ambassador to that foreign nation. There are several nations which the Empire is aware of that it does not an embassy to. A related and current issue in the game is that the Empire has several groups of settled people's (Sand Fishers, Great Forest Orcs and Jotun Thralls). How these groups are communicated with has been a question posed in the game and one of the potential solutions is to create embassies or to allow the Consul to act as an ambassador to them.

Anyway, that's my take on the experience of playing ambassador. I find it to be an excellent part of the game and I would encourage anyone remotely interested to give it a try. I'll happily talk more about the subject, should anyone want to and I hope this has been interesting and informative!

==IC Footwear==
* ''Matt talking about why costume does not stop at the ankle. (05/05/2020)''
The idea that costume stops at the ankle literally makes no sense in Empire - where white trainers are explicitly banned while IC. That rule exists because we judge that what you wear on your feet has an impact on the immersion for everyone.

If you can get good looking IC footwear then that's fantastic. It really adds to any costume and can be the finishing touch that makes a good costume look great. It's a subtle thing - you often won't notice it - but time spent improving your IC footwear will improve any costume.

The issue with IC footwear is that it's subject to two significant OOC compromises. (a) it's often expensive to buy and difficult to make and (b) you want warm, dry feet and to have good ankle support.

Now actually - there's nothing unique about footwear in that regard. If you're getting plate armour for your character it will be expensive and difficult to make and it needs to fit well or it will be a safety risk for you. If you're getting *any* costume together - you need to think about staying warm and dry at the event.

But the compromises are particularly expensive for IC footwear. It is hard to get hold of, very hard to make (I have made a pair of IC boots - it can be done!) and you're going to want ankle support and have warm dry feet while in a cold, wet, muddy field. All sensible LRPers understand these compromises and that's why people tend to say "costume stops at the ankle" but it's neither true nor helpful. It's just a lot quicker than what I'm typing here.

If you're fairly new to LRP then IC footwear is the last thing you want to be thinking about. I own more pairs of IC footwear than I do OOC footwear... but I've been LRPing for 20+ years... And this is literally my job... If you're on a limited budget (and who isn't on a limited budget?) then there's usually much better ways to use your budget to improve your costume than getting IC footwear until you've been LRPing for years.

If you're starting out and you already own a pair of brown or black boots of some kind then they'll be great for IC footwear. Sure they're not perfect - but costume is never perfect. But they'll be fine to use in game, and they'll keep your safe and dry. You can use wellies if you want to when it's muddy - again if you can get black or brown ones then that's best. Dark coloured trainers are acceptable at a push - but not something I'd recommend unless they also have good grip and ankle support.

If you want to start improving on that - then making or buying some gaiters can be a great step. Done right they can hide some of the modern details of boots or shoes without costing too much or compromising on those all important OOC concerns for the safety of your feet and ankles.

But if you've been LRPing a fair while and want to start expanding your costume wardrobe to really go that extra mile to make the game better for everyone - then good IC footwear is a fantastic addition to your kit! Good kit makes the game more immersive for everyone - and hats off to everyone who goes that extra mile. Empire is an aspirational game - we want everyone to strive to get the best kit they can afford over time - and we want to applaud everyone who does that.

So don't worry about your feet - especially if you're new to LRP. Get yourself some brown or black boots or trainers that are comfortable and have good ankle support and grip. That's the minimum requirement to play the game - and is usually the best way for most people to get started. You can think about improving your IC footwear once you've got the rest of your costume looking just the way you want it.

==Not Liking Things Is Core Game Design==
* ''Matt talking about why some parts of the game appear more fun than others. (20/02/2020)''
One of the fundamental design weaknesses of Conclave is that everyone thinks they should enjoy it.

I kinda get it - because I guess the expectation is that you should enjoy every part of an event...

But Empire really isn't designed like that at all. Approximately half our players ''never'' attend a battle - but I've never seen a living soul say "do the shorter battle - because it'll be over quicker so it's the least worst..."
Empire is quite deliberately designed to present a lot of different things to enjoy so that different people will get different things out of the game.

One of my core design principles in a game is the idea that "the only liquid everyone drinks is water". You can sort of try and make something that nobody really dislikes but only by watering it down to the point where nobody really cares about it that much either.

I prefer to try to include lots of different things in a game so that there are some things you'll really love and some things you'll hate. If we avoid making any of it obligatory, then you can engage with the stuff you like and skip the bits you don't.

I think the size of Empire (and by extension the size of Conclave and the posts here from the people who really enjoy it) show that the approach is pretty productive. But it does suffer from the fundamental flaw that everyone assumes by default that they will like every part of the game - and then they're disappointed when they don't.

tl:dr; If Empire has bits you like and bits you don't like - that's by design. Pick the bits you enjoy!
{{CaptionedImage|file=Choices.png|align=right|width=600}}
==The Most Significant Choice==
* ''Matt talking about picking your nation, and why the game encourages you to be specific about who you are rather than just play "a person" (15/10/2019)''
One of the reasons you have to pick your nation before you play your first event is because your nation is - all other things being equal - the single most important choice you will make when making your character.*
As a game, Empire is primarily about the things you are trying to accomplish as your character. It's a world designed to present goals for things you can accomplish - and from there on it's a sandbox filled with 2000 other PCs that you interact with. Some of those PCs will want to help you - some of them will want to hinder you - those interactions form the mainstay of your event.

That's the crux of the game - that's the mainstay of your experience. And that's why your nation is so crucial to your game. Because much of what your character might want to do is heavily influenced by your nation. Whether other PCs will help or hinder you will be heavily influenced by your nation.

I can't stress strongly enough how important a choice nation can be to your character - and to your enjoyment of the event. It affects everything.

If you find you can't decide - you can't pick between two or three you like - then just flip a coin. Which one you pick doesn't matter - they're all designed to be fun to play - but what does matter is that you pick one and go for it. You are far more likely to have fun playing a League mercenary - or a Marcher beater - or a Varushkan Warden - than you will playing a... blank.

It's cool to attend the event looking for a group to join - though you'd still benefit strongly from being someone who is from somewhere who is going to do something for some reason.
You can attend the event and look for groups from the nation you're part of to join. But if you have nothing - if your character is a blank sheet - then nobody has anything to offer you and you have no reason to favour one group over another.

Whereas if you're from somewhere and trying to do something - then you have a basis for your interaction - suddenly this group is more favourable to your goals than that group. There's a point to the interactions - there's traction.

The fact that you have to pick a nation is not an imposition - it's the system trying to prevent you from having a bad time.

If you make a throw-away character - the odds of you having a throw-away experience go up exponentially. If you invest in your character - (I'm talking emotionally - but financially helps also!) then you're more likely to have a cool experience.

It is possible for characters to change nation - although it requires some in-character effort (you have to convince the new nation to accept you in-character).

But if someone has made a mistake - they can talk to us after the event and say "I enjoyed the event - but X nation is not for me - can I change my character to be from Y" then we'll change that for you because it's a mistake that we're correcting for you.

But we don't let people be "from nowhere" when they start the game because in the opinion of the game designers that significantly reduces your chances of having a good time at the game.

As Roisin says, playing a Navarr character who is not sure if they want to stay in the Navarr is cool. They're a nation known for moving around - and for helping people find the place they want to be.

But that requires you to create a story and a character who is Navarr. It's a cool character if you want to try and explore that story and go on a journey to find a home. But the best chance of working is if you're someone from somewhere and you're not sure this is right for you anymore because of some reason.

If you're playing a Navarr because you got told that's the easiest nation to switch in and out of - and you've picked it because it sounded like the best way to get round the requirement to have a nation and you know nothing about the nation. Then you're maximising your chance of having no fun.

* Actually the most important choice you will make is which in-character group you are part of - but since that requires you all be pick the same nation I'm ignoring it here for simplicity.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NEMESIS Project.jpg|align=right|width=500|Liselotte van Holberg, Master of the Imperial Mint, definitely not up to anything.}}</div>

==In Praise of an Imperial Position==
* ''A short piece written by Amy Mason Flowers and posted to the Empire LRP facebook group, about experiences as [[Master of the Imperial Mint]]'' (27/09/2019).
Hello! To anyone who doesn't know me, I play in the League as Lieselotte van Holberg. I'm the current Master of the Mint, and I can't sleep so I decided to write a long post instead. This is praise for one of my favourite parts of this game and a part very few people get to see up close - the Master of The Imperial Mint position.

The Master of the Mint is one of the rare dual imperial body positions (like Quartermaster, Imperial Magus, Conscience, Imperial Consul and the soon to be appoined Basilisk of the Bourse, and the initially forgotten by me Warmage) that gets powers in multiple areas of the game. In the case of the Mint, it's the liaison between Senate and the Bourse - which is why I get to stand in Senate and tell them to spend less money, but also sit and glare at the bidders in the Bourse auction while making frantic notes on the changing prices.

It's also a weird position - unlike all the others above, it is restricted to the League and sold as a Bourse Seat. Yet it is unique as a Bourse Seat for not giving any Bourse resources. Yet it comes with something much more valuable and interesting to a data nerd like me: numbers. Each season I get to sit down with a Civil Servant<sup>[[#MintSub1|(1)]]</sup> and get all the details of the tax intake and costs of each territory, the breakdown of Senate spending, the tariff costs of our foreign policy, and the predictions for the next season.

What do I do with all this? Firstly, I get to role-play being knowledgeable about numbers for 3 days. I get to be the girly swot standing at the front of the class and telling teacher the budget is this much, another army costs this much and so on. Luckily the Speakers are very indulgent of my rudely introducing facts<sup>[[#MintSub2|(2)]]</sup> into the impassioned debates of ideas the Senators are having.

Secondly, I get to go home and make all the numbers dance for me! I know how to choose my lap weapons -> Pivot tables, linear regression and spreadsheets at dawn!

Thirdly, I make up little booklets summarising the data and sell them to increase awareness of the various numbers. People are most likely to have seen on of my tax maps in the Anvil Almanac, showing which territories produce the most net tax - the data for those comes from the Master of the Mint position. I have even more detailed ones for the truly nerdy reader! I also tried producing wood symbol versions for the MC for a while. Having these means I can get other people to care about the numbers too and we can have detailed discussions about how our methods of war impact the territory we capture, or how we treat the territory impacts financial growth in the area. It adds a level of realism to the game that I've not seen in any other larp (or frankly any non-computerised game) and it is so cool.

This is only one aspect of the position though - another Mint could as easily ignore the numbers info, and instead concentrate on the influence you can have in Senate. You can't vote or raise a motion, but you get to talk and that's far more powerful than either. Senate is a tiny sphere of people, and getting to spend every session with them, getting to hear how they talk and watch the patterns of alliances quickly gives you knowledge of who to talk to if you want certain things done. There is a heady atmosphere that is part theatre (as you play to the gallery), part heated political argument and part in-jokes of work colleagues<sup>[[#MintSub3|(3)]]</sup> and it is very different in feel inside it.

I didn't expect to enjoy this position this much when I decided to go for it<sup>[[#MintSub4|(4)]]</sup>, and I'm so glad I did. About 18 months ago I got really sick and lost almost all my mobility, and having something that I could excel at with minimal moving around meant the world to me. So thanks PD, with especial thanks to those making up numbers for us to play with.

For anyone who wants more info about the title can find it here: [[Master of the Imperial Mint]]<sup>[[#MintSub5|(5)]]</sup>
<br>
{{anchor|MintSub1}}(1) Graeme, who tolerates my corrections of his sums with shockingly good grace<br>
{{anchor|MintSub2}}(2) well numbers, which are like facts and often add up eventually, much like the plot of a good murder mystery<br>
{{anchor|MintSub3}}(3) Long-term economic investment bingo, goodest doggos, John of Mead's Bercow impressions for a start<br>
{{anchor|MintSub4}}(4) A good IC question to ask me is how do you raise the money to take positions that require upfront capital e.g. this, the Runeforge<br>
{{anchor|MintSub5}}(5) How many more years do I have to do this before they replace the former Mint with a picture of me?<br>
<br>

==Massacres and Misdemeanours==
* ''Here Matt is talking about masacres and other war crimes with specific reference to the Mournwold incident'' (20/09/2019)
{{CaptionedImage|file=Calvin Consequences.png|align=right|width=600}}
Tricking people into committing genocide against their wishes is literally no part of the game design of Empire.

In theory there is a space in a live roleplaying game for letting people get hit by the consequences of their actions without warning them in advance that that might happen. The real world is complex - it's often hard to know quite how things will turn out - so in theory there is the potential to run a game in which you inflict consequences of people's actions on them after the fact without warning.

But that's not remotely how Empire is set-up. There are various reasons why it's not interesting to us as a live roleplaying game concept. I could go into it in detail - but they link to the problems of being judge and jury as game organisers and to concepts around the nature of choice as players. Philosophically I'd argue a choice with zero information about the outcomes is literally not a choice at all. The more information you have - the more of a choice you have to make.

So instead we try to present the players with all the possible information we can give them - and then let them make their decisions based on sure knowledge of what is going to happen. I'm confident that the characters involved in the Spiral "incident" knew ''exactly'' what they were doing. They were very explicit in their orders - and then just to be absolutely definitely 1000% clear - they did it again next season.

Likewise I'm similarly confident that characters involved in the Mournwold massacre knew what was going to happen. I've seen various posts and emails from people that made clear that they knew what they were doing and what the consequences would be. It was a careful decision by the key people involved - to kill a lot of Jotun - at a painful price.

It was an awesome part of what makes Empire the game it is. It's a low-fantasy game choice. The decisions was not heroic... but it was effective. I can't remember how many Jotun they killed... but shit me it was a lot. I'm really proud of the fact that we can run a live roleplaying game in which people do the equivalent of dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and that makes perfect sense in-character - it's based on rational decisions - that you can argue over the morality of. The reason I like to run games like Empire - is so that players can do stuff like that!

Unfortunately there is an element after anything like that where people tend to have buyers remorse. When that happens, the most effective way to avoid punishment by the mob who have changed their view on what is acceptable now that the war is won and everyone is feeling safe and counting the bodies (morality is in the eye of the historian!) is to deny that you had any idea what was going to happen.

That's a perfectly normal reaction - and people do it all the time in the real world. It's standard operating procedure for all people involved in morally dubious practices to claim afterwards that they had no idea what was happening/what was going to happen. It's basic moral defence 101 - yes I did actually do this terrible thing - but I had no idea what would happen - therefore I can't be guilty of a moral crime.

Unfortunately in a live roleplaying game that tends to get confused with "PD deliberately screwed us" - which is very frustrating. The in-character defence tends to take on an out-of-character hint of "this wasn't me - the game organisers did it". That's a real shame when it happens, because actually it undermines the genuinely awesome character decisions that went into something like Spiral or Mournwold. It also leads to situations like these where generals are encouraged to think "but what if I don't order an atrocity, but PD just makes one happen anyway" even though that's literally not how the game works.

If you look at the Mournwold, we'd been running plot for a year or two before that about the inhabitants - it would have been hard to miss if you were a general or a Marcher I suspect. I mean you could miss it - but... you'd have to work hard. I accept that you can convince yourself that all those people are Marcher thralls currently - and thus not Imperial citizens - even though those two states are not mutually exclusive - but that doesn't really shift the essential morality of what happened. Unless you think killing thousands of civilians is ok if they're our civilians conquered by the enemy rather than our civilians not conquered by the enemy. That seems an odd defence to me.

I think some people were genuinely surprised how many people died. Nobody ever asked us how many people lived in the Mournwold - so we did have to pluck a figure out of the air for that - but it felt odd to us that if 30,000 people died when from poisonous gas belching out of the ground that was a terrible atrocity - but if 12,000 people died from it it would have been just ''fine''.

But I do think there was a gotcha in the sense that we said "Loads of children and old people will die if you do this" and the players were like "Yeah - cool - lets go do it". Then afterwards we said "Loads of children and old people died when you did this" and the players were like "''Exactly'' how many is loads?" and we were all "Er... I dunno... hang on... check numbers on back of fag-packet.... about 10% - about 30,000"

At which point people were then astonished to discover that anyone lived in an area of land the size of Wales (population at the turn of the 16th century - 260,000).

There was a lot of focus on the numbers - but I ''think'' that was actually because numbers make things ''real''. If I say "a lot of people died in the Mournwold" then you think "Yes - that is very sad. I am sad for those people who died." If I say "30,000 people died in the Mournworld" you think "WTF? 30,000? That's insane? How did all those people end up dead? What the hell?" There is huge emotional power in numbers in situations like this that words alone don't create (it's one of the reasons that journalists looking to "report" a story are often so careful to cherry-pick their numbers - or even overlook them entirely - the emotional reaction hinges on your sense of the numbers).

Beyond that - I think people understood pretty well what was going to happen. You can look up Mountain Remembers its Youth on the wiki - the AP wasn't quite the same - but it did make clear that the young and the old would be the main casualties. The magicians involved knew what they were doing (and more power to their elbow!) and at least some of the generals who were working with them did also.

Which is all cool with me! Like I say, I think those two points where amongst the most momentous moments of the game - and it's a great strength of Empire that it can produce things like that. But unfortunately the aftermath does tend to lead to situations where people present these things as if no-one could possibly have known what was going to happen beforehand - which is a real shame - because from an OOC perspective it's mostly horseshit - but crucially because I think it really undermines the very awesome roleplay decisions the characters took.

Unfortunately Facebook does not help. When discussing on Facebook afterwards players rarely volunteer the information "It was me - I dunnit - I knew what would happen and I did it anyway". So you don't really get the fullest possible picture from Facebook of what actually happened IC when these decisions were made. Instead you get the impression that people sort of blundered into it by accident - which as I've said I think really undermines the cool of the actions those characters took.

==Metagaming==
* ''On an otherwise innocent thread about "New to Anvil" as in-character code for "I am a new player", Matt wrote some words about metagaming.''(26/08/2019)
Bad metagaming is where you use an aspect of the game that exists outside of the context of the game for your personal benefit. For instance, many years ago I came across a very large demon at a fest event I was attending. Great big huge wings... I commented to a friend that the creature was pretty intimidating they replied "Nah, not really, if you stand under that tree, he can't touch you. His wings catch on the low branches".

That's a fine example of metagaming. Using something that exists outside the context of the game "people with large fixed-mount phys-rep wings can't walk under low branches" to gain personal advantage in a way that makes no sense within the context of the game itself (I have yet to see a game setting that explicitly lays out that winged demons cannot approach within 10ft of a tree trunk with low branches).

Sometimes metagaming is ok. As a plot writer you can create plots that play off the fact that you know that players will make certain assumptions - so that you can surprise them. I think that's ok - that kind of metagaming is the LRP equivalent of subverting the genre/expectations to make the experience more enjoyable for the reader. Metagaming to make things more cool for other players... I'm all for.

But metagaming to make things cooler for yourself at the expense of others is less cool. It can be a fairly selfish way to play.

In this example, the risk with exploiting this kind of metagaming advantage is that you are playing on the way people treat new players. Specifically some/a lot of LRPers will go out of their way to help new players - to try and look out for them and help them get into the game.

That in itself is a form of metagaming. There's no IC reason that people should feel preternaturally helpful towards random strangers simply because they've recently arrived in Anvil. You're acting on the basis of information that's outside the context of the setting. But it's a great form of metagaming because it helps to make the game more welcoming to new players - which helps to bring new players into Empire and into LRP.

But if you exploit that kindness to get in-character advantage then you're metagaming not to help new players, but for your own gain. And crucially what you're doing is burning the goodwill that existing players will show to new players. If you exploit the "I am a New LRPer" to scam or con someone who makes all kinds of assumptions - then it's a fair bet that next time someone tells that player they're new to LRP then they'll be a lot less helpful.

If effect you're making the game less cool, less accessible for every new player coming to Empire - to give yourself a few extra IC coins...

Funny story - many years ago I played an unlovable character at a large bank holiday fest. He was not a pleasant person (I don't play pleasant people) and some people were trying very hard to kill him and I was trying to be very careful so as not to make that too easy for them. But when I met a player who explained they were brand new and didn't know what on earth was going on, I stopped being careful and my unlovable character who would literally kick a beggar to death to take his last shilling suddenly developed a charitable streak a mile wide and started trying to help this character, got them to tag along with me, trying to introduce them to people, take them places.

I was a ''little'' disappointed when it turned out they were metagaming and we'ren't a new player at all and had simply said that to get close to my character so they could murder me. It was a good death, one of my all time favourites - but it did take a little of the shine off an otherwise perfect moment...

At some point we really should put "I'm new to Anvil..." on the wiki.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Calvin Tents.jpg|align=right|width=600}}

==In Character Tents==
* ''This is a post '''Clare''' put together to address some of the regular questions asked about camping on the in-character field. It was originally posted on the New Player and Player Support facebook group.'' (20/07/2019)
===Introduction===
We get a lot of questions about camping at events and whether to camp in or out of character. There’s pros and cons to doing each and I’ve compiled a list about it to help people make the choice that suits them for events.

Camping at Empire is split between several fields. Anvil itself is split across two main fields. These fields are in character and people camp in them according to the nation they are in. Each nation has a camp planner who organises and supervises camping in these areas. Space is limited and they do a fantastic job in trying to fit everyone into the space they have available. If you want to camp in your nation camp it is important to make the camp planner aware of your requirements so they can add you to the camp plan and then make sure you’re in the correct area when you pitch your tent on site. The camp planners coordinate through Facebook and most nation groups have a pinned post at the top for this. If not a shout out on the board will get you directed to the correct person.

There are also two out of character camps and another for crew. There is an area for accessible camping. Before the event a site plan comes out which has all this marked on it. This is linked from the side bar on the wiki.

I’m going to go through some pros and cons for each type of camping. I’ve left out any discussion about toilets and showers. Because of the layout of the site there will always be areas which have a bit of a walk to them. We’re constantly looking at ways to improve the provision of toilets and showers. I for one acknowledge the 4am walk to the toilets is an awful experience that not even the quiet misty loveliness of the site makes up for.

===Camping in Character===
Empire events aren’t 24 hour so there is really no such thing as in character camping as such. When we talk about in character camping, we're talking about pitching a [[Costume#Tents|suitable tent]] on the in character field and sleeping in it.We can all agree (hopefully) that Anvil is an amazing space to be in and look great. We all want to be there and add to the feel of our town, this is why we restrict the type of tents which can be used in Anvil. No polyester or modern fabric tents should be used, although blends like most bell tents are fine. The aim is to have something that looks like a period tent that adds to the look-and-feel of our fantasy town, not something shiny and modern that risks damaging other peoples’ immersion in the event!

===In Character Hots===
* Close to group and central Anvil stuff.
* Less far to walk generally - you can duck into your tent for a rest, all your stuff is easily at hand
* Can put children to bed and carry on your game nearby
===In Character Nots===
* Late night noise - the IC field is always likely to be noisy, people like to sit around fires and sing and carry on the party.
* Needs an appropriate tent - as said above these need to be in keeping with the in character field. This usually means they’re bigger, heavier and more expensive than modern tents
* Needs to be on site long enough before time in to set up - when the game starts, vehicle access to the field is not possible and in character tents are usually heavier than out of character ones and all the required set dressing and your stuff can be almost impossible to cart over to your nation.
* Need enough set dressing to make the space look good. If you want to use it as an in character space the tent should be set dressed and modern kit and rubbish kept out of sight.
* IC thievery - there are explicit rules about in character thievery. You need to make sure you are aware of them and how your tent could be affected by them. I have another post planned about this. Be aware about the rules on not entering a closed tent and keeping in character and out of character stuff separate.

===Organisation (edit)===
It's worth adding here that organizing the IC field takes a lot of time and hard work. Planning each national camp is fairly complicated and can take a couple of weeks to organise so try not to leave it to the last minute. The best way to get in touch is through the facebook groups.

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/ The Brass Coast]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/401633306545071/ Dawn]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/208819129244083/ Highguard]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/158687267598665/ Imperial Orcs]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ The League]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/146423572116922/ The Marches]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/476962795649090/ Navarr]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/470732939604433/ Urizen]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ Varushka]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301940076567407/ Wintermark]

===Camping Out of Character===
Camping out of character means pitching your tent in the out of character fields. These are the ones surrounding the main Anvil in character fields. There is an area behind the Wintermark/Dawn field and along the top of the other field, where you drive into the site.

Sleeping in the out of character field doesn’t cut you off from any part of the game or mean you have a less full-filling event. The decision is all about what suits you practically and financially. Events shouldn’t cause you discomfort or stress and this decision is a big part of how to make sure you enjoy your time.

===Out of Character Hots===
* Not needing to drive onto the IC field - sometimes we have wet events, not having to drive onto the in character field in these situations is great! You can pretty much pull off the hardcore road on the top of site to where you pitch and off again too! Helps with getting off site too!
* No restrictions about arriving and leaving. Out of character camping isn’t affected by the no vehicles on site during in character time that the in character field is.
* Bolthole from the IC field - the in character field can be intense at times, whether you’re a new or more experienced player. Camping in the out of character field means you can escape and hide and have a break from it all whenever you want.
* Quieter - the out of character camping areas are much quieter than the in character field. It’s generally expected that people keep the noise down in these areas and that singing, music and partying at night is kept on the in character field.
* More space to pitch - as we’ve discussed the in character field can be quite tight on space and the camp planners work hard to fit everyone in. The out of character fields have much more room for you
* Good for people sharing a tent but in different nations - cross nation groups aren’t a thing in Empire. People from different nations do share in character sleeping space but that limits some of the people for access to the tent during the event.
* Car as storage - you can keep stuff in your car! It’s nearby and is dry! You can usually park fairly close to your tent. If you can move your car away from next to your tent, that’s great because it means everyone else after you gets to camp a little closer to the in character field!

===Out of Character Nots===
* Might need to find a friendly In Character tent to stash stuff in - people are pretty good and asking around might well net you some space to keep a bag or box so you can store a bit of stuff without getting back to your tent for a cloak or snacks or whatever. Get a nice in character storage solution and ask nicely!
* Bit of a walk - out of character camping can be a bit of a distance from the in character field.
* Being able to get up and not be in character straight away. If you want to lounge about in the out of character field in your pajamas for an hour before you start playing this is possible in the out of character fields but not in character fields!

This post isn’t to say ‘Don’t camp in the in character field or out of character field’ in particular but to give you some information to help you make a decision for what suits you best.

== On Archetypes ==
* ''Some words from Matt about [[Archetype|archetypes]] in Empire, taken from Facebook'' (19/07/2019)
An [[archetype]] represents a social niche that your character can occupy - and be known for doing that role first and foremost. So you can be a Thane of a Wintermark Hall - or a mountebank on the streets of the Sarvos - or a hakima of the tribes of the Brass Coast. You can't be more than one archetype at once in practical terms - because fundamentally you can't be known and seen and treated as lots of different things. You might be a Thane who has sworn the oath of a grimnir and tries to mediate disputes. But if you run a hall and are known for your status as the ruler of that hall - and treated as such - then that's what you are - you're a Thane. The other facets of who you are simply not as important.

Archetype is completely optional. But they exist for a bunch of reasons - primarily to create interesting social niches for your character - things you can be. People often approach roleplaying in dungeons and dragons like terms - I'll be a fighter, I'll be a healer - but Empire is first and foremost a ''social'' game - it's about your role in the world. Archetypes encourage people to think in those terms about their character. Who am I - how do people relate to me - what is my role in society? These questions are usually much much more important in Empire than "Did you take magic or fighting skills".

Archetype is probably the single most important decision you can make when you create your character. Occasionally it gets used by the plot team for stuff - because it's useful for us targeting plot. If we're running out a piece of plot about a conflict in Wintermark - then it's useful to aim that first and foremost at the mediators.
But plot is far less important than your characterisation. That's crucial in Empire - who you are - what you do - how you think - how you act - how you interact with other characters. Those decisions are going to have a big impact on your game and on your enjoyment of the game.

Having an archetype can help get you started on that. It gives you a way to focus your characterisation - and it gives other people a way to understand who you are. If you tell me you're a thane - I'm going to respond to you very differently than if you tell you're a grimnir - or a maggot.

I'd encourage every new player to look at the [[Archetype|archetypes]] and think "Would it be fun to be the person doing that thing"? If the answer is yes - then embrace it and go for it. If not... that's cool - if there's no archetype that grabs you then just leave it blank. It is there to help - and if it's not helping - it's of no benefit.
By all means look at multiple archetypes. If it all looks fun - you can try and do it all. But remember that it will influence how people see you. If you tell people you're a maggot grimnir mediator scop runesmith thane... then you're not actually saying you are all of those things - what you're actually saying is "I'm not really anything".

Archetypes aren't classes - they don't limit what you can do in play like a character class in a classic rpg. You can be a thane who makes runic items, you can be a stormcrow who mediates, or a grimnir who loots the battlefield. But an archetype is about ''focus'' - the tighter your focus the more it says about you - and the more guidance it's giving you to do stuff on the field. So the more you try to have lots of archetypes - the less you're actually getting the benefit of any of it.
If something sounds fun - read more about it - and ''embrace'' it. The game is designed so that leaning in to an archetype and embracing that thing will hopefully improve your game.

But don't pick an archetype if nothing grabs you - just leave it blank. There is no benefit to ticking a box and having a label that means nothing to you. If it's not something you want to be in the game - it's not something you want to put on your character sheet! So it's perfectly ok to leave it blank - just means you need to think about who you are and what you are going to try and do in game instead!

==Character Death==
* ''This is a piece written by '''Mitchell Clark''' about his experiences at E2-2019 when his long-term character died, with an introduction by our own Clare Evans. It originally appeared on the [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player support and new player help] Facebook page.'' (18/07/2019).
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Introduction</p>
We've talked about character death a couple of times on this page. It's an important part of the game. Everyone deals with it differently and it's a shock and often it sucks, but it keeps the game fresh and moving, it gives you a chance to play something new and buy that kit you've had your eye on, it provides the frisson of excitement and fear that makes the game buzz.

I've asked Mitchell Clarke to talk about his character death last event to give an eye view into what happens and how he handled the situation. There's no right or wrong way, but this is his....

<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Death</p>
Character death is something that the majority of us hope will never happen, especially to our own PCs - Naturally, as we make strong bonds with our IC friends and allies a character death within that circle will have an immediate, national or even further afield impact if you are really lucky. A lot of players, new and even old seem to think that character deaths and slipping into the terminal state over the weekend is the end of ones game, I've been asked to try and prove otherwise.

I am going to be talking about my own experience of my first character death of which I played seven years as Torr Splitroot.

After being cut off from Imperial lines in Liathhaven I got offered the chance to be executed, I asked if I could have that done in front of my nation (Navarr) as I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, being an adjutant and field captain this would certainly cause some shock value - Luckily the knife hand of the Jotun got cleaved off just before they could finish the job. This allowed for the Navarr to get me back into Imperial lines, albeit beyond repair at this point.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Torr Splitroot.jpg|align=right|width=400|caption=Always remember. Great deeds are eternal.}}
As the battle continued I was taken away from the ebb and flow of the main line and being dragged towards the sentinel gate. Whilst this was happening my friend dedicated me to Vigilance on the battefield, slumped against a tree bleeding my guts out and barely holding them in.

Once I finally got back into the safety of Anvil, I went straight to the Forge - More to have breathing space to process what is inevitably going to happen this weekend, and also to have some much needed chats at this point. Whilst there I had a close friend from another nation rush over, speak to me and then place my first testimony upon my soul.

Later that afternoon I announced progress made about Brocéliande's defence against the vallorn, information about the battle earlier that day and then the fact I was in a terminal state to my nation during our standing. Just as I was about to walk out that circle I had the Navarr national assembly come up to me and put another testimony upon my soul, once done the entire nation chanted this repeatedly as I walked to the side of the circle to allow others to announce stuff.

During songs and stories I spoke about my journey through life and respectively the great dance as is Navarri tradition, and how if I could do all these things then everyone else can with their own ambition, pride and courage. After this I had another testimony put upon my soul by another close friend.

After battle-reffing the Sunday battle I got back into Torrs gear one last time. Donned his warpaint, tattoos and branding one last time. As the time got closer I went to the standing circle, my striding, friends, nation, friends from other nations were all there like they said they would be. Everyone said their final words, speaking of shared memories and how my efforts were not in vain, and asking if I would have changed my actions if I knew the outcome of the path I just blazed down in life. No. I spoke of the greatest ambitions I had that I now would not be able to fulfil, and reminded my nation and friends, that if I could do this, then they could do better.

As Torr drank that dose of venom, feeling the life within his body slowly fade away, he could hear song, he could see his friends and the tears they shed for him, and he could feel immense pride in everyone being there in his final moments. 'I love you all.' Upon his death, some plot related stuff happened that I'd rather be left for the field for people to pursue.
As I finally put my hand in the air, it did hit me - But not as much as I expected, yes I just hit the final stop in Torrs journey from an OC perspective, but it made me think of every bump, corner and full speed straight that got me here in the first place. Every action you have made during that time has a small butterfly effect in that game that will last forever, even if its a tiny once. That is what you must remember, that whilst this character is technically a part of you, a much more projected, vocal and actionable version of yourself - You are what ultimately led that life and you can do so again in the next.

I for one look forward to what my new character will bring to the table, to experience Empire in someone elses boots, and cannot wait for E3.

Always remember. Great deeds are eternal.

==Epic War Epic War – Cinema in LARP combat==
* ''This is a piece written by Nick Turner at the request of Clare Evans for the New Player facebook. Nick runs our New Player Weapons training sessions on Fridays at events. As Clare says "There's no right or wrong way but there are definitely ways people prefer and ways to look amazing and give everyone a better more dramatic experience they'll remember." ''(18/06/2019)
Just before Christmas Clare asked me to write a short piece on the Ethics of Combat at Empire and try to describe the feel that we are trying to achieve. Writing about combat and fighting styles is highly contentious as it is one of those things that everyone has their own views on how and what. The age old discussions of heroic vs competitive, spear vs sword/shield rage on just as they have since Peckforton opened its doors nearly 40 years ago.

So why has this task fallen to me? Several reasons I guess. I am both a player and referee within the game so I see both sides of this part of the game. I have a significant amount of battle/fighting experience over my 25+ years of playing and I’ve studied martial sports to a high level. I also run the new player combat briefs on the Friday afternoons (alongside Emma Rowden and Johnny Fisher).

'''Vision'''<br>
LARP combat is by its nature a competition, driven by the need to “win” a fight for character survivability etc. There are a lot of talented fighters across the Nations who fight in many ways.

“Competitive” fighters use terms such as “hard skills” to justify their actions, but in the end up just optimising. Light weapons, large shields, certain stances, targeting certain parts of the body etc. It turn from epic combat to something that can be likened to sports fencing where there are primary targets and the equipment has been selected to give maximum advantage. But being honest it just doesn’t look that good.

“Heroic” combat is often ill-described as “two-thirds combat” – the idea that if you slow down blows it will look better, and make you look like a hero. But why should I handicap myself in a fight by not using my weapons at their full potential? Likewise slowing down is hard to do without it looking hammed up. Also, what if I’m not playing a hero?

You are in your own movie (and in everyone else’s)

Personally I have no issue with either style. They have their own place in the hobby but I don’t think either fit the ethic of Empire as a game. Empire is a sweeping vista of conflict, a gruelling world where word and sword carry equal weight. The setting of Empire is one of epic tales, of hard fought battles, of heroes and villains. The visual feast that we can see in the pictures that the ever talented photographers give us is one of individual stories. Look out over Anvil at dusk and you are transport somewhere else – into a story.

Therefore I would like to advocate a third view – that of “cinematic” combat. This is how I picture combat in Empire should be and it is this that we talk about at New Player briefings. Hopefully I can persuade you to the same view.

When you play you are the central protagonist in your own movie, and we all want that movie to be a blockbuster. We want the orc that we have struck to feel the hit, we want to see the rage of our foes as they meet us, the fear in their eyes as they fall back under our assault. When we take the field, be it alongside a band of Imperial heroes, or as a horde of barbarians we are contributing to everyone else’s movie.

Modern movies and TV series have developed exceptional choreography in their combat scenes, aimed give a sense of awe when we watch them. 13th Warrior, 300, Vikings, GoT, Musketeers, The list could go on. I don’t know about you but it is that sense of awe that I want when I take the field. I want to be able to pause, look around the battlefield and picture that I am in my own film.

'''How does this translate to combat at Empire?'''<br>

The combat system at Empire is designed to advocate this thinking. In essence it promotes a certain set of ethics by which we can play.

For example, I can name just a few rules that are aimed at this style of play.

1: The rule of hero points insist that [[Appropriate_roleplaying|appropriate roleplay]] is used when performing a call. Go big or go home…

2: Taking damage and [[calls]] requires certain actions. A cleaved leg requires you to fall over – no “Monty Python’s Black Knight”, likewise when hit by strike down needs you to hit the floor properly.

3: The [[Combat#The_One_Second_Rule|one-second rule]] is designed to allow for these blows to be used and weapons to be swung, essentially negating the DPS “drum roll” idea of some competitive fighting styles. A spear is pulled back and thrust just feels better than when it is waggled near an opponent. Even with knives a good solid swing looks better. It also allows time to aim for a specific target and ensure the blow is pulled for safety.

4: Spell Vocals are cool (and required). A chance to put your own spin on the call you are about to make. Using them in a suitable manner, be it imposing booming vocals or quiet whispered sneaky – they still add to the moment.

5: While you are on the ground bleeding out you are still part of combat. When you hit zero in Empire you are not unconscious so you can engage with the game. Call for help, insult your foes, plead for mercy or bargain for your life.

Cinematic combat is not optimal, I realise this, but it is about having a winning mentality for the game as a whole. It’s about fighting your best without relying on the fact that we are using LARP equipment and showing a great story. And it is still effective.

It is full speed, but not “quick”. It is roleplayed, but not hammy. Swing from the shoulders, not the wrist. It’s about attacking from a different angle, without being seen to be “trying a move”. It’s about going big when using hero points. Go hard but safe!

Fight differently when you monster a battle rather than as your character would with a mask on. Think of how it is for the other person in the fight. Get into character.
Roll with hits, stagger under a good blow, or the force of an arrow. Using a full range of motion. Be vocal and show your emotions. Play your injuries. Roleplay the s**t out of it. “Choreograph” the fight in your head, but don’t plan it. Think about how it looks to everyone around you.

Empire is an aspirational system, both in terms of look and style and I feel that combat should be aspirational as well. Cinematic combat is about looking good, fighting well but giving everyone, including yourself, their own personal “extras”. It shapes the game and give stories that people will tell around the fire for years to come. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKyVhawhzv0 Watch this].

If you are interested in learning more, please come to the combat briefs and have a listen further. It never hurts to try a new thing.

==The Canonicity of Orders==
* ''A post from Matt about army orders submitted by [[general|generals]] in response to a question on the New Player facebook. "To what degree can we assume the Winds material is 100% canon? How accountable are players to the actions described in Winds of War?"'' (07/06/2019)
The orders of the PCs are published next to the Wind of War. You can see exactly what the order was. It's important to appreciate that the text that is written represents flavour text that describes the mathematical outcome of what happened based on the [[Army orders|order ''type'']] that the general submitted. The words influence the write-up - and may provide specific details like which regions to target - but they don't influence the outcome of the battles in anyway.

{As an aside if someone wrote - "I order the army to go into battle in their underpants wielding sticks of celery and running backwards towards the enemy to carry out a balanced attack" - then we'd ignore it. There'd be a brief discussion and then we'd write flavour text that read like "They execute a balanced attack - but they pointedly ignore your bat shit crazy ideas of how to fight in favour of tactics that will work." So you literally can't influence the mathematical outcome with your flavour text even if you tried).

Holding the generals responsible for the order type they submit is cool. Where the army went - and what kind of attack or defence order it submitted is 100% under the control of the general and you absolutely can and should roleplay that they are responsible for that.

Holding them responsible for the flavour text stuff that happens is pretty pointless. Out-of-character they're not responsible for that, and most players know that and understand that, so I would not anticipate you getting much support for criticising someone's character for something the player categorically had no control over. I suspect most people's in-character sense of fair play will kick in and they won't give you much support for that. I certainly wouldn't give you an inch of support for it.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Criticism.png|align=right|width=200|caption=Empire is a game all about making difficult<br>decisions.}}
If you're a general getting in-character grief for something the plot writers wrote as the story-line for a battle then you've got a couple of options. You can quite legitimately say "Nothing to do with me mate - that was my underlings - this is the order I gave - this is what I told them to do - clearly a bunch of subcommanders went off and did this." It's not a fun piece of roleplaying - but it's in-character legitimate in this very specific situation and Profound Decisions will back that to the hilt if we're called in to rule on it.

A player can quite legitimately say "I wasn't even ''there'' mate". In a technical sense a general does not even need to roleplay that they are present during the campaign. I don't know how many generals roleplay it this way - but it's a perfectly valid option to say "My constitutional role is to submit orders to my army - that's what I'm selected to do - I don't have a role beyond that. I'm a non-combatant so I don't fight."

Personally I'd go the other route. I'd lean in. I'd say "Yep - that was exactly what I ordered - I did that because it was absolutely categorically the best strategy to adopt in that situation given the way the forces are arrayed against us. The fact that you think it wasn't the best strategy to choose simply shows ''your'' ignorance of strategy".

Profound Decisions will validate that viewpoint. We don't write the non-player characters to be doing anything stupid, they basically do the smartest thing available in any given situation. So it's correct in any meaningful sense that the any player-character general who was with their army ordering them to do the stuff in the flavour text was absolutely giving the most beneficial orders possible - given the overall orders given to the army at the start of the campaign.

And it's a subtle nod to the fact that you're trying to criticise a character for something the player had absolutely no control over - which ''implies'' you may not fully understand how that part of the game works.

Empire as a game is all about making difficult decisions. The plot of our game - the story - essentially is the decisions the players make given the challenges they face. Our non-player-characters simply react to that. The PvP politics is all about criticising people for the things they did ''as their character'' - that's a crucial part of the game we're presenting for everyone to play.

But criticising someone for the things they had no control over as a player is - by definition - not part of the decisions they made. It's not something we encourage - because we don't think it's any fun for anyone roleplaying it at any level. Which is why we'll validate any half-sensible position the player in question wants to take "Best strategy available/Not me responsibility mate/Rogue commanders"

If you want to criticise people for the tactical orders they give on the battlefield there is a place for that. It's the battles that take place on Saturday and Sunday of the game!

==Not Today, Free Text Downtime==
* ''Matt, responding to the suggestion that the way general submit their orders amounts to a 'free text downtime''' (29/05/19)
It's a funny line - but it's pretty muddle-headed in my mind.

Firstly you submit your orders in uptime - we're pretty damn strict about that... So it flat out fails the technical description of a downtime submission if you have to do it live at an event in my mind. It ''looks'' like a free-text downtime because it involves free-text and it's written down and it's resolved between events rather than immediately. But the bit ''you'' do - the bit that's important - that's done at the event.

A huge amount of Empire's reflection takes place between events rather than immediately. We type up all the Senate motions onto the wiki - then we go and painstakingly work out the effects of each and everyone. That takes hours of work - it's too technical a job to attempt at an event. And we need time to agree on the reactions of the NPCs to it in. So the impact of everything the Senate does - the reflection of the actions - takes place between events. Are Senate motions free text downtimes? Are Conclave declarations? I don't think so.

Ok, so they're not free text. Well they are actually - but there is a mechanical system that underpins the Senate and Conclave system - you can't just build anything. It's a set of tools - and the free text is description of which tools you're using and how. So it's not really free text?
{{CaptionedImage|file=Not_Today.jpg|align=right|width=250|caption=And not tomorrow either.}}
But the general's orders are very very explicitly mechanical. We're absolutely dogmatic about that. What you write is important - it affects the flavour of the outcome - but the mechanical reflection is done based on the single downtime option you tick with your order. They're arguably even less free-text than Senate motions.

But if that hasn't convinced you - then think about Synod judgements. That absolutely is free-text - and the system has zero mechanical structure in the reflective elements. You can submit any text you like - and provided enough players vote for it - then we'll give you a result based on our interpretation of your free-text submission. Are Synod judgements free-text downtimes?

I think it stretches credibility to breaking point to view them as free-text downtimes - and yet they are written down, they're free-text, their pass/fail status is determined at the event - but the resolution of their effects takes place between events.

If I could produce a system, in which Raff could write 100,000 words in 20 minutes - and 2000 players could read the 100,000 words in 20 minutes - then we could have built Empire as a world in which every general submitted their orders Saturday night - and Sunday morning everyone got the resolution. We can't do that - well duh - but actually I'm not convinced we'd have seen any improvement at all in the game if we had.

(Thinking about it - it would be EASY to do the above. Just strip out the writing element. Turn the entire military game into a purely mechanical exercise. Armies have strengths, they submit orders, they do X, they do Y. It takes Andy 3-4 days to write the Winds of War - but it takes Graeme only 3-4 hours at most to calculate the actual mechanical results. If the system were purely mechanical - if we didn't want all the dramatic text - we could literally do it Saturday night. It would be purely "uptime". It would also be shit

(Side-side note: we actually tried something like this one event with the siege of the Druj fortress in Reikos. It was ok as a concept - but was a lot of work for questionable gains)).

It's understandable that people focus on PD's processing of the general's orders as a crucial element of the game. But actually the crucial element of the game is what takes place in the field running up to that point. It's the interactions between the generals - as they discuss where their armies are going to go - what they're going to do - that's the crucial bit. That's where the ''game'' is.

Have you played Diplomacy Oz? The board game? I loved that game so much. It has two phases. The diplomacy phase - and the order phase. In the diplomacy phase you spend fifteen minutes talking to other players trying to convince them to do what you want. Then you have 5 minutes or whatever to write your orders down in the orders phase. Oh - and then there's a third phase - the resolution phase - where everyone reveals their orders and you update the map accordingly. Then you go again. If you've played diplomacy at all - then the comparisons with the Empire's military game should be pretty obvious.

Downtime is our orders resolution phase - that's all it is. The order system - our collection of them, the processing, the release of the results. Like everything else in Empire it exists to allow us to collect the key points of data from the uptime actions of the players - Conclave Declarations, Synod Judgements, Senate motions, General orders - and then to reflect those event-based decisions into changes in the state of the world.

Yes we use free-text for some uptime actions! Sometimes the text affects the mechanical model that underpins the downtime system (it doesn't with general's orders, it does with synod judgements) sometimes it's purely important for the flavour and the roleplaying. But it's based on crucial decisions taken live and uptime as your character.

If I could make every part of Empire respond to free text from every character I would! What a lot of people call "plot" is free-text uptime. NPCs come out to speak to you in the field - depending on what free-text you submit to them they will go away and react to that - usually between events. Is interacting with an NPC at an event a free-text downtime? It feels like a stretch to claim that - even if the resolution, the changes in the state of the world - take place between events.

In a perfect world I'd love the field to be swimming in plot that was all about free-text submissions by players. Sadly we haven't found ways to massively scale that up yet - but we continue to work on that - evolution not revolution.

But if I could do it - if I could give everyone a hundred free-text uptimes an event - and keep the quality high and the consistency there. I'd do that in the blink of an eye!

What we do do, is give players a way to communally submit actions at events that include free-text elements to a greater or lesser extent - Synod Judgements, Generals orders, Senate motions, etc. It's all done in uptime - all the crucial decisions are made in the field - but the resolution does take place between events.

Almost every important decision you make in Empire is made while in-character and roleplaying. It's uptime. Most of them involve reflections - changes in the state of the world - and those take place between events. They're resolved by PD in downtime - but your involvement in that ceases 3pm Sunday of the event. Most of those crucial actions involve free-text - either spoken or written down.

But I think to call that a free-text downtime is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature and character of what the crucial characteristics of a free-text downtime are - how they work and what they're for.

In the end it's semantics. You can say potato, I'll say tomato. Or whatever. I think it's valid to look at every part of Empire and say "If we could make this ''more'' live - would it be a better game" but I can tell you the military game/generals orders systems are not on my radar of things to improve in that way.

I'm vastly more interested in ways to make apothecary a mechanical uptime system instead of a mechanical downtime system than I am in trying to find ways to make the resolution and reflection of the military wargame happen in uptime while everyone is in-character (that bit is what the battles are for!).

==Dour, Untalkative Strangers==
* ''Matt talking about talking, responding to Grayson Angus' post about [[#Friends in Other Nations|having friends]]'' (23/05/2019)

There's no right or wrong way to play any game. But there are ways to play LRPs that more people will find rewarding than others.

We (we being we experienced fest LRPers) often talk about the mistake of being a dour untalkative stranger and going to the event planning to sit in the corner of the tavern looking moody and hostile. It's not impossible to enjoy the event that way - but I think most LRPers agree that you heavily tip the odds against yourself if you do that.

So I think it's really useful for people who enjoy Empire to talk about how they enjoy Empire. To me it's like windsurfing... trying and failing is significantly less fun than wizzing over the water with your sail held high. Taking time to say "yeah - this is how I play the game - doing this really works for me" is the LRP equivalent of showing the new player how to pull the sail up, how to sheet-in and any of a dozen other sailing metaphors I neither know nor understand...

Speaking personally I think in Empire my conscious design choice was that your nation would be the single most important choice you would make (probably followed by group and archetype). Your nation is crucial - it's the crucible from which most players will forge not just allies but also goals. You can get by on personal and even group goals - but the easiest way to have fun is to team up with people from your nation and work on national goals.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Having_Fun.png|align=right|width=250|caption=Talking about having fun can help other people have fun.}}
But the counter-part of that design is that achieving those national goals is totally dependent on interacting with people from other nations. I've seen a few people in some of the nations assume that their national goals can be achieved by roleplaying with people only from their nation. Given that the entire game design is working against you if you pursue that approach - I think it's much harder to have fun that way. It's certainly playing on "hard mode" - in this case I'd expect it to be a fast-track to disappointment.

Wintermark and Navarr are especially vulnerable to that I think - given their size. Dawn less so since they started as one of the smallest nations and have grown to be one of the biggest. But it's definitely not just a large nation issue - I've seen players in every nation do it. Never mind LRPers - people almost naturally tend to look internally for the solutions to their problems. We're tribal by our nature.

Empire is designed so that those national goals require you to interact with players from other nations to achieve them - and crucially to persuade others to support you. As one of our crew pointed out to me - Empire isn't about "What is happening in the world?" - that's usually a very public given. It's about "What are you going to do about it?". The roleplaying is in persuading others to put their goals aside and to support yours.

Of course that's just how best to "succeed". LRP is ultimately the opposite of Yoda's advice to Luke. There is no do - there is only try. It doesn't actually matter in the slightest whether the Druj invade Hahnmark or the Thule capture Siroc - or any of that. The only thing that matters a damn is that you have fun ''trying'' to stop them - and trying to do your own thing - whatever that thing is.

And that - as Grayson points out is where talking to other people pays double dividends. Because you don't just get to push your own agenda - you get to have their agenda pushed on you. And that's fun! You get to be prodded and poked by some other players desperate to persuade you to support them at any cost - or at a cost you define. Given that there's one of you and there's 2000 of them - being embroiled in other people's plans is going to fill your event up much faster then doing the embroiling.

My advice on how to enjoy Empire is to think of yourself as the only NPC in a field with 2000 players. It's your job to make their event awesome. First create an interesting character to portray, someone who brings the nation brief to life. Then give yourself some plot goals you need to achieve. Then go out and make yourself available to the 2000 players you want to roleplay with. Stick to your brief - and don't let them persuade you to change your goals unless they roleplay really well at you...

I can't guarantee you'll have fun. LRP is such a complex and uncontrollable medium - there is no way to make people enjoy an event. All you can do is shift the balance of probabilities. But I think if you do what Grayson's said above - or what I've said here (which is just a meta-way of looking at what Grayson is saying in practical terms) then you stack the deck in favour of you enjoying the event.

==Friends in all the Right Places==
* ''A short piece from Grayson Angus , written on the Empire LRP Facebook, about why having friends is good.'' (23/05/2019)
Why you should have friends in other nations and how it makes your game better.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Angus Grayson.jpg|align=right|width=250|caption=Grayson is a long-time player of Profound Decisions games<br>(among others) currently playing Earl Bohemond de<br>Rondell in Dawn.}}
Larp is all about caring. Caring how you portray your character, that their attitudes are internally consistent, that their costume looks right. It's important that ultimately the things that should matter to you IC do to a meaningful extent. PD are very good at using the format of the Winds of War and Winds of Fortune to tug on our heartstrings in a very elegant fashion. It inspires us, gives us goals, and makes wins and losses more exhilarating. It means we mostly as the players hit the ground running each event with a burning desire to achieve at least one thing.

I posit that by building up either background links or friendships in play you get two or more bites of the cherry. Just like it works in real life, you get all of the things that you care about because they affect you - and then all of things you care about because they affect your friends, family etc.

With friends/allies/rivals you get invited on more skirmishes, and told about plot going on. In effect, you are shown glimpses behind the curtain of the game world than you would never otherwise get to see and the game becomes the more vibrant for it. It's also an accelerating effect, to borrow from the Urizen brief a little - every friend in another nation is a node to which other people link.

So my advice to you, any and all, and it's the same to a player with years of experience or none; talk to that person in the bar, ask what they did in season and ask what they want to achieve at Anvil. Approach groups of people and ask about their nation and what matters to them and why.

Or if all else fails, spill a Marcher's pint and at least you will get a rival that can really hold a grudge.

==Contacting Profound Decisions==
* ''A reply Matt posted to a request for what to do when emailing Profound Decisions.'' (13/05/2019)
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Being Helpful</p>
Things that players can do to help!
# Include your PID by itself at the top of your email. It takes about a minute to look up a player account by name. If I do that 50 times in a day... then that's just a bit short of an hour spent looking up players' details every day!
# If you can't manage that - if you don't know your PID then the next useful piece of information is your name. Ideally this needs to be the same name that you use on the database rather than, say, a different name. I get a surprising number of emails from people who provide me with literally no identifying information of any kind. It's like a little magic mystery tour...
# Please include any previous email correspondence that are relevant to this one in the body text. I have read and answered 300 emails since I read the one you sent last week... I'm afraid I just do not remember what we were talking about.
# Don't put 16 queries in one email. Send them in separate emails. My email inbox is my job queue - so I can't do your email if I can't answer any one of the 16 entries on it. So it will sit there until I can answer everything - which can take weeks or more. Driving me nuts the entire time. If you have different queries for different people - they can be forwarded on easily and quickly in different emails, otherwise I have to start saying "Can you answer points 1 and 3" which is another five minutes gone. One query per email is best.
# Don't send me an email that says "You don't need to answer this until after the event". My inbox is my job queue - so I can't leave an email for later - I have to try and work through them as best I can. If you really don't want an answer until next week... don't send it until next week.
# Don't send "Thanks" emails. I love you all - dearly - but I spend about thirty minutes a day opening and reading emails that say "Thanks". The best way to say thanks is telepathically.
# Don't PM me. PMs are the spawn of Satan. I often end up having to cut and paste your PM into an email that I send myself. (so that it goes into my job queue). So it saves you a minute to PM me and costs me 10 extra minutes just to process receiving your PM... Email is best!
# Please try to send the email to the right address. It doesn't matter if you get it wrong - we'll forward internally - but I spend 30 mins a day sending people emails saying "I have forwarded your email to admin". We have a few players who clearly just have my email address saved and use that for everything which is a bit frustrating. You can find the right address [[Contact Profound Decisions|here]].
That's about everything I think!
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">E-Mail or PM</p>
There is a time and a place for Facebook PMs, but somethings are better off emailed.

Questions you have that are better emailed:

1) My downtime is broken and need fixing.
2) I am going to cast this wacky ritual on my left foot at the event.
3) My bookings are broken and need fixing.
4) Feedback about how awesome/awful PD are.
5) I want to use this mithril to build a statue of Agramant
6) Reports about conduct violations at events.
7) Questions about how the game or rules works.
8) Questions about how LRP works.
9) Questions about how life works.

Stuff that is better sent in a PM:

1) The Wintermark Kallavesi Merrow Mystic Herbalists facebook group is on fire - can you help put it out.
2) Reports that the website/wiki is on fire.
3) Reports that my pants are on fire.
4) Chatty stuff that merits one word answers like "cool", "great" or "yeah".

I think for me the acid test is probably twitter. If you think Matt Pennington is likely to reply in less than 280 characters than PM is cool - arguably even ideal. But bear in mind that I am the sort of person that will reply to Rachel taking the piss out of Chris with a 500 word response on the relative merits of emails vs PMs. I am clearly not normal.

==What is a priest anyway?==
* ''Matt, writing on the Wintermark facebook group, in reference to questions about what actually makes someone a priest.'' (08/05/2019)
Basically words like "priest" are deliberately vague. Like the real world - it doesn't have a clear definition in Empire - and that's by design. It's not a class based system...

Being involved in religion does not require a [[congregation]]. Discussing theology does not require a congregation. Committing [[Religious_crime#Heresy|heresy]] does not require a congregation.

Priests are given some wiggle room to discuss potentially heretical things - for the kind of obvious reason that you can't discuss what might or might not be heretical without dicussing something that might or might not be heretical. The definition of a "priest" is entirely subjective, it's pretty much in the eye of the claimant or the beholder depending on your perspective.

But the people who make the key ruling on whether you should be condemned for heresy or not are... the people with the congregations! So it definitely helps to have a congregation - since you can then vote that you're innocent of all charges. (More importantly there is likely to be a statistical bias in favour of synod members by other synod members because of the way human beings work).

''Matt also points out that (as of the time of writing) the [[Synod]] does not have the power to convict anyone of heresy or indeed any religious crime.''

The Synod [[Sanction|condemns you for heresy]] - and then the [[magistrates]] [[Imperial_law#Magistrates_and_trials|try]] you for it. So if you haven't actually done anything - you can pretty much expect the magistrates to throw it out. The Synod can't convict you of heresy - and if you've done nothing then you should hope to get off when you go before the magistrates unless you're pretty unlucky.

==Opportunities : Good, Bad, and Ugly==
* ''Here, Matt is talking on Facebook about how and why NPCs - especially barbarians - seem to be able to do things that the Empire has no obvious mechanism to duplicate. It touches on the idea of [[opportunity|opportunities]] - situations presented by the game team that are unique or unexpected.'' (20/03/2019)
The game has an abstraction layer - we've talked about this before. Periodically we - as part of plot - lift things above the abstraction layer to make plot opportunities out of them. They represent chances for the Empire to take advantage of unique circumstances to do things they couldn't normally do.

For example, when the Empire [[consecration|consecrated]] the [[Sing_your_name|tomb of the Sentinel]] using [[Liao#True Liao|true liao]] - they got a whole pile of opportunities to take advantage of that to do things they couldn't normally do. That's what an [[opportunity]] ''is'' - it's a chance to do something you can't normally do. If you could normally do it - it wouldn't be an opportunity - it would just be part of the standard rule set.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Unpalatabe Facts.png|align=right|width=500|caption=The game isn't meant to be fair, it's meant to be fun.}}
The Empire gets loads of opportunities - they're part of the plot we create as plot writers for the game - to make the events different to each other to make them engaging. Loads of them are economic and spiritual and magical in nature - and a bunch of them are military in nature.

So for last event - we gave the Empire the opportunity to go to Ossium to cast some rituals. That's a military opportunity - to do something you can't normally do.

Usually when we do that - there is a chance for the Barbarians to stop you. Not in an active way in most senses - but in a passive way of being there when you turn up to take advantage of the military opportunity. Not always - plenty of time the Empire gets big military advantages - and the barbarians have literally no way of any kind to stop them - but usually they involve a fight.

Sometimes we also create opportunities for the barbarians. In the sense of "the unique circumstances have allowed them to do this special thing that isn't normally doable". That's exactly like the kind of thing we offer the Empire periodically - in effect it's a "''negative''" opportunity. It's a chance to make difficult and dangerous decisions to try and prevent something unpleasant happening.

The big difference between Imperial and barbarian opportunities is that we never give the barbarians one that we don't give the Empire the chance to prevent. The barbarians have no equivalent of "Empire can choose to do X special thing - and the barbarians can't stop them". That literally never happens.

If we were being "fair" to both sides then it ''should'' happen. We should model all the barbarian armies and give them loads of special cool things each downtime that the Empire can do nothing about... but... the game isn't meant to be fair. It's meant to be fun. We run the game for the players benefit - not the barbarians benefit - so there is zero value in an opportunity for the barbarians that the Empire can't prevent - the only benefit is in opportunities for the barbarians that the Empire can prevent.

Sometimes of course there are more opportunities for the barbarians than the players have chances to prevent. Sometimes you have to pick between stopping wicked [[Druj]] or vile [[Grendel]] or terrible [[Jotun]] and you can't do all three. That's fairly uncommon as it happens - but not unprecedented. And that's harsh (real life is harsh sometimes) - but doesn't change the underlying design criteria that nothing is ever given to the barbarians that the players don't have a chance to stop. It's just not given to the players (always) to be able to stop ''everything''. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions - the company name after all is not "Easy Choices".

But yeah - it's really totally meaningless to think of the orcs as having abilities the Empire don't have. It simply doesn't work like that in anyway. They operate on the same rules the players broadly speaking - we just layer opportunities for both sides on top of that as part of the plot writing process. Opportunities for the Empire to seize an advantage - and opportunities for the Empire to stop the barbarians seizing an opportunity.

==Mortgages, Landfill, and Vagabond Wains==
* ''This is a post from Matt in reply to a Facebook post on the Empire group from Michael Wheatley asking about the IC (and OOC) legality of destroying Bourse notes, what happens to the wains they represent, and how much the notes are "worth" in terms of Matt's mortgage.'' (17/03/2019)<br>
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Mortgages and Landfill</p>
Okay - firstly thanks for everyone who is thinking of my mortgage - that's very much appreciated. I did indeed remortgage my house to pay for Maelstrom's currency... but that was 16 years ago... Things have changed a lot since then. No mortgages were harmed in the making of this game. Thankfully. :)

Crucially your ability to destroy the economic value of my game is limited by the methods you use. The coins are hugely expensive - but that's because we buy enormous bulk amounts of them. That brings the unit cost down - a one ring coin costs one dollar. That's Hong Kong dollars - not US Dollars.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Shakedown.jpeg |align=right|width=500|caption=No mortgages were harmed in the making of ''this'' game.}}

Thanks to massive devaluation of the British currency (Cheers Brexit!) - that is now equivalent to 10 British Pee. In fact the cost are 50% more than that - due to transport costs - but basically a one ring coin costs about 15 British Pee. Expensive when you have to order 15,000 at a time - but individually not that pricey.

So when someone wanted to get hold of as many 1 ring coins as possible and turn them into armour our response was "Please Don't Do That". But when someone wants to take a handful of 1 throne coins and make jewellery out of them then our response is "knock yourself out".

Yes, it's destroying a phys-rep - but we hold the same view of that that the majority of LRPers probably hold about the idea of destroying a phys-rep that costs 15p to replace. Don't do it for the sake of it - but if it's cool roleplaying - then go right ahead.

The Bourse notes... are made of paper. They're "minted" in a machine called a "laser printer". I don't know what they cost individually - I've never bothered to work that out but I'd be surprised if it was more than One or Two British Pee?

I calculated yesterday that we pay £2.28 a player per event to dispose of the rubbish that players leave behind. Waste disposal was £16,550 last year - gross. It's quite possible that a bourse note costs more to put in landfill than it does to print.

The costs will increase this year - with the new replacement notes that are coming. We haven't finalised costs yet because we're still discussing whether to print them on paper or solid mingium but even so I doubt the new notes will cost more than 4 or 5p each.

So you can destroy as many Bourse Notes as you like in-character - just knock yourself out with that. Go for it. Seriously - I have zero concerns of any kind about you doing that.

But if you're worried about my mortgage - then why not recycle your rubbish and take the bottles and cans home? If everyone did that then that alone would probably save Profound Decisions around £6,000 a year! My mortgage payments are already covered - but it might just help us buy that permanent site we're saving up for. ;)
<br>
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0 0 0;">Vagabond Wains</p>
But what happens to the wain? OMG! Can we haz them plz?

The Civil Service store all the actual wains in carefully protected warehouses all of which are conveniently located beneath the abstraction layer. If you destroy a bourse note, then the wain cannot be accessed - but that's ok - because very occasionally the below abstraction layer warehouses get attacked by below the abstraction layer thieves who steal the below abstraction layer wains. These are not just any thieves - they not doing it for the money - in fact they're a small cult dedicated to preserving the abstraction layer at all costs - so they only steal exactly the right amount of wains needed to preserve the abstraction layer (which they calculate using Day magic).

More realistically I suspect the civil service runs a very small surplus of wains, which is one of the things that allows them to cope with the exceptionally small corruption in an otherwise perfect system whilst almost managing the astonishing feat of miraculously moving any amount of incredibly precious material instantaneously from one end of the Empire to another without any apparent risk or cost.

It's theoretically in-character possible that the Imperial Senate could force the civil service to tally that surplus and hand it over... and if they do that then I personally guarantee that I will use ideas outlined in the paragraph above to make the impact of that so ''horrific'' that nobody goes near it with a ten-foot barge-pole. Ask the Master of the Mint if she thinks it's worth adding an extra 0 to every construction cost in the Empire for the next ten years to get her hands on 12 wains of White Granite for free.

(Hint: if she says yes - then it's two 0s. Seriously - I can think of 20 ways to make this idea utterly unpalatable without breaking sweat. There is no profit to be had by players mining the abstraction layer).

==Encountering the Brief==
* ''A post from Matt about the role nation briefs and look and feel. The initial discussion as about the [[Imperial_Orcs_look_and_feel#Leg_and_Arm_Wraps|leg and arm wraps]] that form part of the [[Imperial orcs]] [[Imperial_Orcs_look_and_feel|look and feel]].'' (08/03/2019)
... I want to try and lay out a bit more about why (''leg and arm wraps are'') important – about why the brief is important. And about how best for us all to encourage everyone to keep to the brief most of the time.

For an Imperial Orc costume, Wraps are a really important part of the costume brief. There are some in-character reasons for that - to do with respect for the ancestors and the elders who were marked by slavery. Personally if I were playing an Imperial Orc I'd have fun playing a very hostile character towards anyone who wasn't wearing wraps . If everyone covers the neck and wrists - then nobody can tell who was a slave and who wasn't. By not covering up you're showing off that you weren't a slave... I'd treat it as someone boasting that they're better than the ancestors because they don't have to wear wraps to cover their scars!
{{CaptionedImage|file=Sombreros are Cool.png|align=right|width=500|caption=Our approach with Empire is to encourage everyone to make the coolest possible characters they can for the game.}}
There are some out-of-character reasons for the wraps obviously - they help to cover the lines at the edge of your mask and disguise the fact that you're using a mask and make-up. Since they're mostly just strips of cloth - they're something anyone can get fairly easily - so it's a mechanism to help everyone have better costume.

But more fundamentally - perhaps a better way to say it is to say that wraps are part of the really important costume brief. It's not the wraps that are important – it's the whole brief. They're just one element of it. Like the white and black colour scheme in[[ Highguard]], like the headdress in [[the Brass Coast]], like every costume brief for each nation they exist to improve the game for everyone. They briefs are designed to create a coherent look that helps to define a culture and make it feel more real.

A big part of immersion is about familiarity. One of the reasons we fall back on history so much in live-roleplaying is because it's familiar. You've seen these images so often that they feel "real" when you see them - in movies... and in live-roleplaying games. You don't think "what's that" when you see it - you just know what it is - so your character just knows what it is. Familiarity makes the game more immersive for everyone.

With a fantasy game like Empire we don't always have the easy crutch of history to help (though we've ripped off bits of history in plenty of places) - but the costume briefs and the detailed nation briefs try to achieve something similar. By creating a well defined concept for the appearance of a nation - the goal is to make that look familiar for everyone who plays the game.

So everyone who takes the brief to heart and tries to embody it is improving the game for every other player. You're making the world more immersive, you're making it feel more real to them. That's why we encourage everyone to follow the briefs - because it makes a better game.

That doesn't mean you can't deviate from the brief ever. They're deliberately intended to be a loose fit - something that requires personalisation by the player as they build their character, so there should be room to create a unique character without departing from the brief.

But it's a costume guide - not a set of costume rules. There are times when you can make a character more interesting for other people to interact with by deviating from the brief and that's okay - provided that your deviation will make your character more interesting for others to interact with though - not less interesting.

What you should never do is just ignore the brief. "I don't like this half of the brief - I'm just going to pretend it's not there" is every bit as bad as "I don't like those rules that say how many hits I have - I'll just ignore them". The brief describes the world - your character is a part of that world - they absolutely will depart from the norms for the world in ways that make them an individual - but it should be as weird for your character to ignore or deny the reality of the world around them as it would be for someone to do that in the real world.

Lets take an example - lets say I'm making an [[Urizen]] character - and I don't want to be a magician - I want to be a... dancer. I like the costume, I like elements of the brief and I love music and dancing in live-roleplaying so that's what I want to do.

Dancing isn't really discussed much in the Urizen brief... but they do have a very strong thing about personal space. It's pretty crappy to just say "I don't like that bit - I'm just going to ignore it" - if you do that you're undermining the game of everyone around you. But there's loads of styles of dancing that preserve personal space - you can lean into the brief and look to employ and promote those styles and improve the game for everyone. Now someone might say "You snowflake! You're going off brief - there's nothing about dancing in Urizen!". But there is a big blank space there that you can create something unique for your character in. Urizen has a lot of emphasis on arete - on perfectionism - for many that's about social and magical perfection - but you can redirect that to create a character who sees dance as a way to perfect the physical form - to perfect physical movement. There's great ideas about poise - that you can work into that - about harnessing your emotions to help you achieve that perfection. The point is that you've departed from the brief... but you've done it in a way that acknowledges the reality of the setting and which works that into your character to make them much ''more interesting'' than simply "I didn't bother with that bit".

A common reason to go off brief is practicality. That's less true with wraps - which almost everyone should be able to get but the principle is important. I might want a cool broadsword for my [[Dawn|Dawnish]] character - but if I don't have one and I don't have the £100 I need to buy one - then that's fine. Costume is a practical matter - there are always compromises to be made. The trick here is not to make a big deal of it - don't make the fact that you don't have the right piece of kit central to your character - because then it will keep coming up every time people roleplay with you. Every time we interact - you'll be drawing attention to the flaws of the game. Just don't mention it - and 99% of the time it will be just fine. Everyone is encouraged to improve their costume over time - you can get that cool Dawnish broadsword that would be perfect for your character when you're in a position to be able to afford it or to make it.

More generally though - when departing from the brief - you'll often hear people say "It's ok - I have a reason for it". It's important to stress that the IC reasons for deviating from the brief are completely irrelevant from a game perspective. This is roleplaying in a world of magic - you can literally justify ''anything'' with very little difficulty. You can invent a rationale to justify why your Marcher character has a 17th century cavalry sabre or one to explain why your Urizen character have a Jedi light-sabre. You can justify anything in live-roleplaying - it is trivially easy to do so.

The baseline assumption is that there is always a reason why your character is the way that they are. Departing from the brief in a positive cool way is out-of-character justified by the fact that your departure creates a unique interesting character that still reflects the world, not by the in-character explanation that accompanies it.

Obviously the principle that if your departure from the brief makes the game more interesting for everyone else (and it's that focus on others that is crucial here - not the focus on you!) then it's cool and if it doesn't then it's not great is completely subjective. You can't arbitrate that, you can't rule on that basis - it's a matter of taste. Just like any part of designing a good costume and designing a good character is a matter of taste. But it's you that gets the pay-off if you get it right - because the cooler your character is - the more fun other people have interacting with you - the more they'll want to come and roleplay with you - so the more fun you'll have at the event.

Our approach with Empire is to encourage everyone to make the coolest possible characters they can for the game. Doing that makes the game more enjoyable for everyone who takes part. A crucial part of that is building a character that embodies the brief and brings it to life - but a significant part is identifying things that make your character interesting to interact with - and some of those can be the things that make you different to "the average Imperial Orc" - which is another way of saying "departs from the brief".

We do discourage people being openly critical of character and costume choices. The internet is the most god-awful platform for giving anyone negative or critical feedback about their roleplaying. That's just going to piss the recipient off and make the whole thing unpleasant for everyone. It's ok if someone offers up a picture of a character they're creating and asks for advice on how to make it cooler - that's fine - but nobody should be telling other people what they can or can't play. The point where we start calling people snowflakes for departing from the brief is the moment we shift from trying to support each other and have the best possible game to old-fashioned bullying. We won't make Empire an awesome game by ostracising people and driving them out for the imagined crime of making a different character to us.

So please don't "police the brief". It's 100% cool to encourage everyone to follow the brief and we ask everyone to do ''that''. It's cool to pick out awesome bits of the brief and encourage people to share and use them. It's cool to provide feedback on request on how to make something more on brief. That's all good. What's not acceptable is players telling other players that they're doing it wrong. If you're genuinely convinced someone is so far off brief that it's bad for the game - discuss that with PD. Every player will have their own interpretation of the brief - different interpretations are valid and nobody - not even us - has the perfectly correct one.
If the brief really does needs policing - then we're the authority to do that.

Ultimately the brief is there for everyone - to inspire players to create the coolest possible character - to make the setting more immersive and real for everyone who plays. The baseline is that everyone should follow it when building their character - whether that's wraps in the Orcs or a tagelmust in the Brass Coast. We expect you to depart from that at some point when you're creating your character - that's totally cool. What we ask is that you do that because you've designed a cool character that's fun for others to interact with, that the points where you depart from the brief make your character more interesting for others to roleplay with. And for the most part you'll be the judge of that - not other players - so it's on you to get that right. That's how we can all work together to create the best possible game for us all to play.

==Crime and Criminality==
A design page talking about crime and criminals, written by Matt, can be found [[Crime and criminality|here]].
{{CaptionedImage|file=Last Minute Panic.jpg|align=right|width=300|caption=Creating a new part of the setting is almost never done at the last moment.}}
==The Making of Tsark==
*'' Writer Wrenna Robson on the design process for the [[Mountains of the Moon]] and people of [[Tsark]].''
So, Andy’s asked me to write a little bit of a “behind the scenes” on the big piece of plot writing I did for the last event, which was the final development work and writing up of Tsark - or, as players previously knew it, the Mountains of the Moon.

Behind the scenes, we have most of the continent on which the Empire lies mapped out at least in abstract - and as such we’ve known for some time that there was a territory between Axos and the Empire, north of Skoura. We thought they were independent orcs of some kind - clearly not warlike because otherwise they’d have attacked the Empire at some time. At some point, the idea of there being a big lake there became attached.

That’s mostly what we had for a while - and I say we, certainly before I started plot writing in 2015. But - as we started to do more stuff with the Axos in plot, and it became clearer that they’d be interested in a trade route with the Empire - the question as to exactly what was going on with “Ind Orcs? Peaceful? Lake??” raised its head. That’s more or less where I came in - I think we first started talking about this perhaps mid-2016, when I was doing a lot of work on religions outside the Way’s doctrine, and I started seriously thinking about what was going on there. The first piece of plot relating to them went out later that year… but I don’t think anybody knows it’s connected yet.

We do a lot of that sort of thing - plots within plots, things relating to other things. I’m not the specialist in it - that’s Kat Quatermass, who is, in my opinion, the undisputed master of threading lots of little bits together for ages which all relates to an underlying narrative. But I was doing it a little here. Over the winter of 2016 we defined a few more bits about Tsark - not named yet, that would come later - and then further on into 2017 and 2018 there were a few more plots relating to Axos which touched upon it - articulating clearly “we want to explore this territory” from some NPCs is a great way of telegraphing to PCs that “you should care about this”.

You’ll notice the big gap there - we basically can’t get much in the way of plot development done over a season! - so as we headed into 2018 Tsark was quite well sketched out in lots of fragments, but nothing was pinned down. I had quite a bad E1, personally - I can’t actually remember why now, I suspect it was just stressy and I didn’t feel that useful - and in the end I ended up missing E2… after which we had been expecting to have to write the report. The spy network was delayed, however - the Empire had lost the necessary territories - and so we had another season. Obviously we didn’t actually get anything written until after E3…

So it’s now a few weeks until E4. It’s crunch time. I need to get this written. So I sit down and draw, properly, a sketch of the map - and suddenly it comes alive. There’s something about actually defining a place that means the people come out of it.All these places you can now see on the spy report, they all just sort of flowed. In terms of look and feel of the geography and how they dress, a lot of inspiration came from the Andes. I was pretty clear that the lake is exactly like one of the beautiful caldera lakes that exist there. Having decided that, I couldn’t resist putting llamas in - they’re beautiful creatures - and so they must have wool… and then it made sense to have colorful woven wools, which are both common in that part of the world in real life, and also distinguishes them from the Skourans. The Andes is also where the terrace farms come from - trying to think “so how do people with this geography grow their food”? I think this is at my core what I aim for - trying to make things feel like they have internal integrity, real. So - where do the names come from? Tsark is quite subtle.There’s a little easter egg there, that I’m sure keen people will find… Most of the rest of the names come from Macedonian - mainly because it roughly fits some of the etymology we’ve used in this part of the world, and it had the right “feel”. I didn’t want to just make up “fantasy names” - I’m really bad at that and I think it can often up sounding not so good. Picking mostly homogeneous names was much better. The only exception was kabaddi - we went back and forth on this and in the end felt that taking somebody’s national game was all very well, but arbitrarily renaming it left a bad taste in our mouth - so we left it. I think - I hope - it still fits.

I knew there was a lake, and the regions around it, and Skoura and Axos and the Empire both had forts on passes… but what form would those forts take? At some point I thought of the maze. We’d talked about having lots of traps and so forth, but the idea of a maze, a movable maze, that was seriously cool. It was inspired, I think, by something from Trials of Death by Darren Shan - an awful pulp series from my childhood, although that was far more lethal. Then we had the disc of mithril - designed to show the degree of wealth of the territory, but also how much they don’t use mithril for the things the Empire does.

We knew they had a sport of some kind; that, because they were mostly orcs (they’d become orcs and humans at some point in development when we were mapping out parts of their histories) they likely had a way of boiling off the natural orc inclination towards aggression, so a contact sport made sense… and I liked kabbadi in my childhood. It doesn’t need much equipment, you could imagine people playing it in mountains… sorted! What else did they do in their leisure time - well, I’ll be a little quiet about exactly how their culture works - but we knew they valued thought, discussion, compassion. A lot of the religion that the Empire’s seen so far looks in my mind a lot like Quaker meetings - or at least my experiences of them - and that sort of meaningful stillness is something I tried to capture.

Then there was the Wall of the Luge and the Lake. These features dominate the territory; I had to have the look really tightly down. The Wall is really quite important for the culture of Tsark, clearly, but again I’ll keep silent about why some people might want to build a mural that dominates the skyline. I’ve been re-watching Game of Thrones recently, and the visual of the Wall there definitely informed my thinking when finalising it. The lake ended up full of algae when we were trying to work out how they got more of their food, and how likely - or not - the lake was going to be swimmable. I vaguely remembered that in lakes with metal contamination algae can bloom… and suddenly I had a way for the lake to shine in the moonlight! Which justified the original name.

So I hope that’s given a bit of a taste of how we write a place - sometimes last minute to get it all in a scramble, but all the time trying to make it make sense, try to give it a clear sense of fitting, of being real. I think - I hope - we’ve mostly succeeded. I’ll be interested to see what - if anything - the Empire choose to do with Tsark next; they have a lot of other things on their plate right now! But it is not in the nature of this game to stop providing new opportunities for people to make profound decisions...
{{CaptionedImage|file=Calvinball.png|caption=Empire is a game with a distinct style.|align=right|width=250}}

==Taking No Prisoners==
* ''Matt writing in response to some of the discussions around the Druj invasion of Morrow, dealing with broader topics around the design of Empire (23/08/2018)''

Empire is a game that has a distinctive style. We've always tried very hard to be honest about what that style is - it's a low fantasy game of politics and war - one where victory is not guaranteed and where loss can be awful. Crucially it is not a game that takes prisoners - if your actions and the actions of other PCs leaves you in the lurch then you pay a terrible price for that - on the battlefield or in the campaign.

That style of game doesn't suit everyone. Some people just don't enjoy it - and that's totally cool. We've never tried to build a game that suits everyone - the only thing ''everyone'' drinks is water.

But the nature of fest LRP events like Empire is that people come to the game for very different reasons. Some enjoy the exciting uptime battles, some people prefer the vibrant camp life. Some people like doing rituals or giving speeches in Conclave. Some people like to chase the plot or try to develop new rituals. There are a lot of different games you can play and enjoy.

But that does mean that it's possible to play Empire for a long time - years potentially - without realising that it includes elements that you really don't enjoy. And with the best will in the world - people rarely actively enjoy the bit where your side is losing. That's rarely the most fun part of any game. So I think it's attendant on everyone to appreciate that people can definitely react to the Winds of War in a way that is "This fucking sucks" and it's completely legitimate to say "This - this bit where we get screwed because of actions taken in game - that's the bit of Empire I really don't enjoy".

Those are perfectly reasonable responses and they're a legitimate criticism of the game - "this game includes elements I don't personally like - I wish it didn't". For years I've spoken with people who didn't enjoy Empire who told me variants of "It's boring - it needs a sense of threat - I want to feel in danger when I'm walking round the field at night". That's a perfectly legitimate criticism of a game - we're not changing the game - but people are not "wrong" for not liking things they don't like. Taste... is a matter of taste.

So it's fair enough for people to not like it when an element of the game that they don't like gets foregrounded. Telling people to leave or complaining that they are criticising the game organisers for not liking something they don't like is not a helpful response. Some people will quit when they discover Empire has parts they don't enjoy and some people will hang on until the pendulum swings and those elements recede and they can resume participating in the bits of the game they do enjoy. It would be nice if everyone gave those players the room to play the parts of the game they enjoy - rather than demanding they sign up for it all or bugger off.

Likewise - people who have discovered elements of Empire that they don't like should also appreciate that those parts were always there, that plenty of players can take joy in being pounded by their enemies and that people can take joy from playing a game where decisions have consequences. Just as it's not very helpful to tell people that they're wrong for not enjoying something, it's not very helpful to rain on the parade of everyone who is chomping at the bit to do something about the latest developments.

Crucially if you do want those bits of the game where the Druj burn all your stuff to go away - then you ''really'' need those players who are fired up to go and do something about that to go to the event and do something about that. Encourage them to play their game - and if they succeed - then the bits of the game where the military campaign has major consequences for Urizen will likely go away again. What you don't want to do is bring those people down - otherwise it just carries on getting worse.

So yeah - live and let live. Empire is a big game - lots of parts people can enjoy - and some room for people not to enjoy all the elements of it. Respect people's choices and respect their right to enjoy the bits they like and the bits they don't like - but try to post in ways that don't bring the mood down for everyone excited to go to the event and take revenge on the Druj and the other people responsible please!
{{CaptionedImage|file=Lost in the Echo.jpg|caption=Only actions are virtuous.|align=right|width=300}}

==Victory and Loss==
* This was written on Facebook by Matt in response to some discussion about the [[382YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_war#Lost_in_the_Echo_.28Morrow.29|Druj invasion of Morrow]]. (22/08/2018)

One of the key things to understand about the military campaigns in Empire is that they run on military and mathematical rules.

What that means is that the outcomes are determined by a set of mathematical rules. We just add up all the points on one side, compare them to the points on the other side and the spreadsheet does the rest. Then Andy Raff writes the flavour text.

The inputs are determined by military rules. The Empire - I assume - makes strategic and military decisions on where to put its armies. And we - as the commanders of the barbarians do the same. We look at the intelligence we're given and put our armies where our best stab (pun intended) says we should go.

Crucially what that means is that we don't go where the narrative says we should. In most ''stories'', the outcomes are determined by what makes the best drama. Things happen according to the inexorable laws of maximum dramatic tension. Elan from Order of the Stick is a great example of a character who knowingly lives in just such a world.

It would have been stupendously easy for us to maximise the dramatic tension here. As will become clear later today there are other campaign theatres where we could have sent the Druj armies where arguably they would have created a better dramatic narrative. The Highborn armies could have fought the Druj to a standstill - while other conflicts played out for drama.

We didn't do that for a while bunch of reasons - lack of military intelligence to justify those military decisions were the IC reasons. But the OOC reasons was because we're not running for drama... we're running on maths and strategy.

That's pretty gutting when you take a huge loss like this one. And this is as Gerard Kurth eloquently describes it a "Holy shit" moment. It's pretty darn brutal. Is it more brutal than when the players fuck up on a battle and 50+ of them die? It's kinda the campaign equivalent I think.

But it does mean that when you get victories - you can be 100% confident that they happened because you outsmarted your opponents - you outplayed them.

That's because victory in Empire is not guaranteed. That's absolutely crucial to playing the game - if we run the numbers and rocks fall and everyone dies... then we'll publish a wind of war in which rocks fall and everyone dies. We'll find a way to run it out to the end of the year - and then next year we'll run a different game. (I have form).

But if the Empire triumphs and packs the Druj off to the history books it will be because they genuinely triumphed. You will know to the bottom of your hearts that it was ''real'' in every meaningful sense. The risk with any game in which you run for drama is that it can hollow out the sense of victory. If victory is the inevitable outcome - then what does it really mean to triumph? If the military campaign outcome was going to be written to produce a nail-biting stand-off... regardless of how many armies the Empire committed to that theatre... then why bother sending anyone?

I've seen a few times the players be surprised when their players actions don't equate to success. But Empire is absolutely founded on the idea that it isn't enough to just do something - you have to actually ''win'' to win. There are no victories for just turning up - this is not a story being told in which the heroes triumph. While the odds faced by the Urizen seem impossible - that's simply a consequence of the collective decisions made by the players - they most certainly could have been different.

We genuinely don't know how the story plays out. We literally have no more clue than you do. It's part of what makes running Empire fun. But it does mean that sometimes you get fantastic awesome results - and sometimes you get a whole sequence of gut punches that seem relentlessly brutal.

tl:dr; What Ed Rolison said. (To be fair, Ed has been playing LRPs run by me and my friends for 14 years!).
{{CaptionedImage|file=Woody Struts.jpg |align=right|width=300|caption=Winds of War is an involved process involving a lot of notes.}}
==Writing Winds of War==
* ''A post from Raff about the process of writing Winds of War (May 2018)''
Given we've got nothing better to do I thought I'd write a short (for a given value) piece about how Winds of War get written, which touches on the way we work through the whole downtime military campaign. You might find it interesting.

'''The orcs plan their moves'''<br>
Before every event, we talk about what the orcs are doing. "We" in this case means me, Matt, and Graeme but may include other people on a case-by-case basis. We sketch out the broad plan for each of the orc nations, with reference to the quests, skirmishes, battles, and delegations for the next event. We nail down where their armies are going and what they are doing, although we sometimes leave the exact order they're taking until later. There'll often be a variable in the mix - the players will often have the chance to do things on the field that will effect what one orc nation or another will do.

This bit often involves heated arguments, all sorts of logical fallacies, accusations of now knowing the brief, and arguments about what ''might'' happen and how much a given orc nation cares about mithril. It can go on for sometime.

We lock in our strategy, especially with regard to enchantments or curses the orc magicians are using.

'''The Event Happens'''<br>
The event happens. Everything catches fire and falls into a swamp. The players choose which battles to take and they succeed or fail or partially succeed or what have you. This may or may not adjust the orders the orcs are taking in a given campaign. Sometimes an enchantment or curse goes off because of a quest failing; sometimes an orc army shifts its allegiance due to the result of a battle. Things like that.

On Sunday the generals submit their orders, usually to Graeme Jamieson. The [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies|Quartermaster]] announces who will be getting the [[Military_unit#Imperial_Guerdon|guerdon]].

At least one of us - ideally two of us - is careful to make sure they have no idea what the players are doing. It's tricky sometimes but we do our best.

We then review the orc strategy, and lock in specific orders if that's still needed.

'''We Analyse the Situation in Theory'''<br>
Once we're properly committed, Graeme tells us what the Imperial players are doing. Sometimes we kick ourselves because if we'd just done ''something else'' things would have been different. We're often surprised. We discuss in broad terms the likely outcomes of the various campaigns, and how much additional force will need to be applied to change outcomes and the like. This bit doesn't usually achieve much beyond being a lot of fun.

Then we open downtime.

'''Downtime Happens'''<br>
Downtime happens. Players assign their military units to support armies and fortifications and what have you.

Then we close downtime.

'''Campaign Processing'''<br>
Once downtime is closed, Matt presses the red button and processes it. This takes a few hours. We twiddle our thumbs and I have a nice hot cup of coffee.

Once downtime is processed, we know where all the military units are and what strength they are. Graeme factors these into his spreadsheet. He adds in all the variables - enchantments, curses, special plot opportunities or levies, weird shit I've convinced people to let me do because of giant pieces of scenery, that kind of thing.

Then ''he'' presses his red button and it's time for the exciting bit.

'''We Go Through the Battles'''<br>
We go through each campaign in turn, double-triple-checking numbers at every stage. We now know the outcome - it's simply numbers. Someone won, someone lost, or it's a double-defend. Regions change hands, or not. Thousands of imaginary soldiers are killed.

We're also at this stage starting to build a picture of the battle. "This would have been worse if they had done X" or "They have squeaked through because of Y and Z" or "If there had been b, then c would/wouldn't have happened".

I make a load of notes about this sort of stuff. We're usually left with a broad sketch of each wind of war at this stage.

'''More Notes'''<br>
More notes. I spend a day or so looking at the orders from each player general, at the notes we made way back when we locked in the orc strategies, at the descriptions of the various effects especially the rituals and plot opportunities/levies, and most importantly at the territory that's being fought over. I review previous winds of war. Notes are made. By this stage each campaign will be a string of bullet points.

'''Write Winds of War'''<br>
I write winds of war, one at a time, based on inspiration. In each case I try to find a "hook" that will turn the story from "we bashed two numbers together and the highest won" to something players can build their own stories about. The narratives can be long and complex - I try as much as possible to give each army a little spotlight time, and to mention significant magical effects, as well as calling out anything that happened during the main events that adds to the story - especially battle outcomes. Not everything makes the cut, of course, but everything contributes to making "two numbers highest wins" into something people can get excited about (or angry, or sad, or fired up about).

One of the challenging things when writing Winds of War is that we have to remember that we're not writing about a single battle but about three months of manoeuvring, fighting, recuperating, and the like. Matt compares the downtime battles to the military campaigns of Wellington across Spain, while the PCs on the field engage in uptime activities take the role of Sharpe. Broad strokes, and a feeling of scale are what's needed for the Winds of War - leaving some wiggle room for the players to create their own personal narrative of what they did on their (bloodsoaked) holidays.

There's a few metarules here - we never mention individual characters or military units. We try hard to make sure that the coolest write-ups are given to the battles where the Empire suffers the most setbacks. As much as possible we try to bring out the individual characters of the orc nations, the territories where the fighting is happening, and the personalities of the armies and the orders given.

The writeups also contain a little setting building as often as not, and there will often be nods to or foreshadowing of things that are happening at the next event or in the wider campaign. For example, the fact the Jotun have sent a delegation to talk to the Thule, or the new ettercap strategies in Liathaven, or the hints of Yaw'nagrah influencing the vallorn, and so on.

The last part is the game information section which lays out clearly as possible the outcome not only of the campaign but of any significant impacts of the territory. This is also when we finalise any opportunities or special roleplaying effects or what have you.

Once I'm happy with one, it gets thrown at Matt to check over. He makes a load of pointy-haired-boss-changes to my deathless prose. Not a single Winds of War writing cycle goes by without an hour long argument over the tone of a single paragraph or in particularly intense cases, a single sentence.

At this stage we also finalise the order they'll be announced in - usually the order that will create the most drama and (hopefully) drum up the most enthusiasm.

'''Easter Eggs!'''<br>
We decide on a naming theme for each of the Winds. We congratulate ourselves on how clever we are and how hard it will be for players to guess it. Mostly because I was not hugged enough as a child and we don't get out often enough.

'''Pictures!'''<br>
I go and enlist the aid of some photodroids to find me some pictures. They get a bullet point list vaguely outlining what I want "Highguard looking grim" or "Sad Marchers" or "Something with the League or the Brass Coast ideally with trees" or what have you. Beth, Tim, Oliver and occasionally sundry others help me out and I narrow down the pictures.

'''Last Check'''<br>
We do a last check through. By this stage Tom is well into creating the battle opportunities for the next event and we make sure that where possible the Winds of War foreshadow or support these so as to make the game world more coherent.

Then we start putting them live on Facebook, and the forum ninjas import them to the forums, and we update the wiki page in the aforementioned "maximum drama/impact" order. This is the really fun bit most of the time.

I add the hashtags, which keep me happy. There's a flurry of discussion and reactions. At least one comment gets deleted by someone.

If there's a particularly complicated WoW (it's usually the last one), it might still be unfinished, but there's plenty of time to work on it while putting the finished ones live. Normally.

At some point during this someone guesses the naming theme.

'''Added Value'''<br>
We've added a few new steps in the last couple of events. We put up a last Wind of War that is about the upcoming major conjunctions - battles and skirmishes - with a variable amount of information. This helps people speculate about what the opportunities are, as well as hopefully letting people other than generals feel invested in the decisions that will be made during Friday night's muster.

As of last event, volunteers working with Ian record the Winds of War as sound files so that people who don't enjoy or have time to read reams and reams of glorified fanfiction can enjoy them.

'''Back to the Start'''<br>
Then we go back to the start; we sketch out the broad strategies for the orcs, and lock in the locations of their armies and the like.

The rest of our writers start finalising the quests, battles, skirmishes, and field plots for the coming event. While everyone else works on that, Matt and I turn our attention to our next writing job - Winds of Fortune.

'''''(Edit 20/06/2022)''' We're actually trying something new with this at the moment - which involves making the conjunctions, quests, and battles part of the Winds themselves rather than in a separate round-up list. We're interested to see how that develops.''

'''Epilogue'''<br>
That was a lot longer than I expected when I started. I'm hoping that means the PD internet is now back up again and I can get Spiral finished and posted. If you've read this far, I salute you.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Planning.jpg|align=right|width=300|caption=Downtime is straightforward, and there's no requirement for you to<br>actually ''do'' anything if you don't want to.}}

==Worrying About Downtime?==
* ''Andy Raff on Downtime, modified from an original post to the Empire Facebook page (November 2017)''
With an eye to the fact this may be some of your first events, I thought I'd do a quick guide to Downtime and whether you need to worry about it.

First of all, the actual wiki page for downtime is [[Downtime|here]].

'''How to do it'''<br>
Go to the [https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/home? Profound Decisions website] and log in. On the drop down at the top, go to Your Account -> Characters and click on your character name. From there, you can spend xp, manage your inventory, and submit your downtime by following the helpful wizard. For now I'm going to concentrate on "Downtime".

'''The Interlude Page'''<br>
When we open downtime, we put together an "interlude" page that contains a bunch of reminders and explanations about special effects that are in play. You can find it from anywhere on the main wiki by going to The Empire at the top of the page, selecting "Recent History" from the drop down, and going to the Winds of Fortune page for the next event.

'''Your Personal Resource'''<br>
Some personal resources let you make choices about what they do in downtime.
* [[Mine]], [[forest]], [[herb garden]], [[farm]], [[business]], [[mana site]] - these straightforward resources just produce whatever they produce. You don't even need to log in - the only reason to do so would be to check your projected income for the next event, and to double check that any [[enchantment]] you had cast on them has worked (but see Overclocking below).
* [[Congregation]] - you can choose to sell some of the [[liao]] you produce. You can automatically sell liao for (currently) 18 rings a dose if you want some cash for some reason. If you want all your tasty, tasty liao you don't need to worry about downtime.
* [[Fleet]] - If you leave your fleet to its own devices, it will engage in [[Fleet#Take_Independent_Action|privateering]] and produce you a chunk of resources of a random type. However, you have another option - you can send your fleet to [[Fleet#Trade|trade]] with a foreign port. Each foreign port provides different income; selecting ports from the drop down automatically calculates what your income will be.
* [[Military unit]] - If you leave a military unit to its own devices it will engage in [[Military_unit#Take_Independent_Action|paid work]], producing a chunk of resources of a random type. As with a fleet though you have more options - you can choose to assign your military unit to [[Military_unit#Supporting_an_Army|support an Imperial army]], [[Military_unit#Defending_a_Fortification|defend a fortification]], or [[Military_unit#Assisting_a_Special_Project|assist a special project]] such as a [[spy network]]. By assigning a military unit to an [[Army|Imperial army]], you can browse the orders the [[general]] has issued, Depending on what you support, you may or may not get shares of the [[Military_unit#Imperial_Guerdon|Imperial Guerdon]] - only some armies provide an income when supported by military units as determined by the [[Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies]] each event.

'''Overclocking'''<br>
If you own a mine, forest, or herb garden you can choose to "overclock" them. This costs you 6 crowns which needs to be in your inventory, and produces an extra 5 ingots, 5 measures, or 7 herbs respectively. Characters with a mana site have also recently gained the ability to "overclock" their resources using the "''[[Better_world#The_White_Seed|white seed]]''" - a unique alchemical product from the [[Principalities of Jarm]]. Unlike the other resources, you can choose to spend more money to gain more crystal mana rather than simply paying 6 crowns.

In both cases, the money to pay for overclocking must be in your inventory - that is you should hand it in in to GOD in your event baggy after the event

'''Upgrading and diversifying'''<br>
Any personal resource can be upgraded. Depending on the resource, it requires either white granite, mithril, or weirwood. The number of wains you need is equal to the new rank, and you can upgrade a resource a maximum of one rank each downtime.

To upgrade, just select the option in downtime after making sure you have the appropriate number of wains in your inventory. Diversification works the same way, but changes some of your basic production to something else - mines, forests, farms, and businesses all have diversification options.

'''Ministries'''<br>
A particular subset of Imperial Titles come with a "[[ministry]]" - the ability to swap something for something else in Downtime. For example, [[Ambassador|ambassadors]] can purchase trade goods while the Overseer of the [[Gloaming Road]] can trade [[Materials#Iridescent Gloaming|iridescent gloaming]] for mithril with the [[Faraden]]. Obviously, you only need to worry about this if you have a ministry. If in doubt, check the page for your title on the wiki.

'''Artisans'''<br>
If you have the [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisan]] skill, you also log in to Downtime to make your magic items. You need to make sure you have the materials you need in your inventory, and pick the items you want from the dropdown. Because of the way the game is designed, everyone with the artisan skill has the ability to make at least one item - a two-month item that requires no materials.

'''Arcane Projections'''<br>
You also use the downtime system to prepare an [[arcane projection]]. You need to make sure you have 10 mana crystals in your inventory, then follow the instructions on the screen. Arcane Projections are documents that allow ritual magicians to perform spontaneous magic. You must submit your arcane projection before the event, but there is usually a short window after Winds of Fortune are published to allow last-minute submissions.

'''That's about it'''<br>
In summary then. You don't ''need'' to do anything with your personal resource, or log in to do anything during downtime. Your resource will produce something automatically, and there's not a lot more to worry about with our downtime system. We keep the downtime system as streamlined and straightforward and devoid of extraneous clicking as we possibly can! If you're having any problems, you can ask for assistance from a fellow player or e-mail matt@profounddecisions.co.uk with as many details of your problem as possible.

==Winds of Fortune==
* ''This post was shared on Facebook to the Empire group, and deals with the purpose of Winds of Fortune. It was originally in response to a player feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Winds of Fortune material before every event. Matt is not what you might call a natural football fan... (18/7/2018)''
{{CaptionedImage|file=Walk it In.png|align=right|width=300}}
I like to try and read the news most days. And the Grauniad is my paper of choice for English news because it's free and it fits my bias.

But I pick and choose the bits I'm interested in - I assume nobody actually reads all that stuff about football or sports and stuff... I mean there was a thing... and like some people played football and... someone won. Or something. Germany I assume - I mean they usually win everything. Or Brazil? I mean I could care less....

The Winds are just "Empire News" - they are there so people whose characters are well informed can be well informed and to create stuff people can choose to roleplay about in the field. But it's perfectly fine for it to be just "more articles about football". Nobody should read articles about football unless they want to and they enjoy reading them.

If I could find a way to say "This content is a supplement to your game - it is optional - you don't need to read any of it - you can just go into play and roleplay finding out the news" then we would.

But there is literally no way that I can think of to say that that works. I don't know what words would communicate that in a way that would make any difference at all to people. We've tried really hard - but nothing works.

Personally I suspect the game is probably more fun if you don't read them. I think I'd enjoy turning up and being wide-eyed and knowing nothing and be like "What? The Columbians have won! That can't possibly have happened. Why weren't the Belgians using the 4-7-5 formation". I don't really understand football so I think the analogy has probably gone too far now... but basically I'd find it more fun to play in the field than read online.

Now obviously the fun of that relies on the fact that ''some'' people do want to read it online and get super-excited about it. And it seems a bit rude to make them do all the work and do none of the heavy-lifting yourself. But statistically - there doesn't seem to be a shortage of people mad keen to read the winds. So I don't think I'd lose any sleep over the work they put in to make your game better so they can portray well-briefed NPCs who know whats happening when you turn up in-character.

But... it just doesn't make a difference. Its mere existence seems to act as a psychic anchor for some players and I genuinely cannot work out what on earth we can do to help other than to just say over and over (largely ineffectively) "Just don't read/worry about it."
{{CaptionedImage|file=So Quiet.jpg|align=right|width=300}}
==Using Social Media==
* ''This post was originally made by Matt on Facebook, on the Wintermark group, as part of a discussion about advertising In Character services, and talking about your group and such on Facebook. in it he talks a bit about our approach to Social Media and its positive impact on the game. (7/4/2018)''
My view has always been that players advertising services on Facebook does give an advantage to players who are active on Facebook and reading the group regularly over those players who aren't.

But an advantage at what? At getting involved, at finding game, at knowing about places to go, help seeking out characters to talk to. Basically help having fun at the event?

I think it's hard to convincingly critique much of that. Our goal is to get as many people involved and enjoying the game as possible. I'd give that advantage to everybody if I could. It doesn't matter to me if one player finds it easier to enjoy the event than another - equality in enjoyment is not the goal - the goal is to get ''everybody'' more involved - to make it easier for everyone to have fun. If a rising tide lifts some boats more than others... I'll accept that.

For the most part roleplaying games are fundamentally cooperative out-of-character. They're not like sports - it's not just about winning and losing and competing. The more fun you are having... in a game in which much of the roleplaying is cooperative player-with-player - then it's likely that I'm having more fun. A busy bustling field full of characters going about their business is a cooler game setting for ''everyone'' - even if you personally are less informed on what is happening.

It's easy to think of these things in terms of competitive advantages - because some of the game is competitive in-character. Players compete against each to become senators, cardinals, grandmasters - and so on. Now clearly it would damage enjoyment to turn up and find everything like this had been stitched up in advance on Facebook - that would spoil the fun - not just for the person losing out but for everyone coming out on top as well.

But that's why we limit the scope of what people can post - IC adverts of services are fine - organising meetings is fine - pushing agendas and discussing issues... is over the line. It's fine to find out what is going on on Facebook - but play out your response to that when you're live in the field.

I welcome any discussion of these things (provided it stays civil!) but PD have a pretty well developed sense of where we think the line is these days and generally speaking we're pretty happy with that. We're not going back to the bad old days of "FOIP" - that is not happening.

What I would say is this - posting adverts on Facebook and having signs at the event is not an either/or. You can do both... You can post adverts for stuff on Facebook... AND you can make Anvil a much cooler place by building beautiful signs...
==Savagery and Civilisation==
* ''An essay about the Navarr from two of the writers who worked on the original nation design - Ian Thomas and Damian Brewiss - written in 2012''
''Ian wrote this as an explanatory document for Navarri players on Facebook, and it has been added here to reach the rest of the player base.''
There's been a lot of discussion about the Navarri outlook, and what it is and what it isn't. I thought I'd try and expand on some of the outlook that we were going for when we wrote the brief. This, of course, doesn't restrict how you can play it -- it's entirely up to you. However, this'll hopefully give you an idea of where we were coming from.

There're two things I'll cover: Navarri attitude and ways of reconciling the savage with the civilised

'''Attitude, Pragmatism, and Realism'''<br>
The shortest way I can think of to sum this up is 'pragmatic realism'.

Let the Dawnish have their romantic notions about laying a lover down on a bed of roses - the Navarri know that such a bed would be rather spiky, and probably have more than a few spiders, wasps, and other crawly things in it.

The Navarr are straightforward, and see things for what they are. They are rarely superstitious.

They are not threatened by nature, nor do they try to preserve it. A tree is a tree. It's useful for wood and for making things, or for getting fruit from. A tree isn't a spirit. It doesn't need to be nailed with iron to make it dead.

There is no war with nature. Equally, there is no eco-friendly movement in Empire, for we are not in an industrialised society - humanity has barely scratched the surface of the world the Navarr live in. Nature, if it was a war, is winning hands down.

The Spring realm, the Spring eternals and the vallorn are a different matter. In vallorn-infested areas, nature grows out of control, like a cancer. It's not nature's fault - it's the wild out-of-control infusion of Spring power. That is what the Navarr must keep under control at all costs, and they'll do their utmost to destroy that threat, one which they feel more than a little responsible for causing. And they need the Empire to be strong to do that.

In the wild, life's tough. Decisions need to be quick. No great debates on philosophy and morality - that threat needs dealing with ''right now''. Honour's all very well, but this is about survival - use the poison, dig a pit, attack them while they sleep.

Yes, Navarr are friendly and welcoming to those of other nations - of course they are. It's nice to interact with someone who isn't trying to stab or eat you. And they might have some decent food and soft toilet paper to trade...

They are not inherently nasty or cruel. They're generally a cheerful nation, happy to celebrate with others. It's only their enemies who get the sharp edge. And the Navarri are totally supportive of the rest of the Empire. But if the rest of the Empire is being stupid (=leading the Empire into danger), the Navarr will not be reticent in calling them on it.

The best exponent of Navarri philosophy I can think of is Granny Weatherwax in Pratchett's Discworld series. Totally practical. Cut right to the heart of the matter. When you have two knives, one of which is decorated with runes and one of which is a breadknife, the only thing that matters is which is sharper. No flim-flam - or rather, no believing your own flim-flam. Which leads on to my next point…

'''Civilisation and Savagery'''<br>
The Navarr are not savages. They may be brutally pragmatic, and may kill a captive as a matter of pragmatism where others might be merciful (*stab*, and then if questioned:" Well, I wasn't carrying that guy back to camp past those Orcs, and there's no way we could leave him alive to report to the enemy. And if we took him prisoner, we'd have to feed him.") But that's an attitude which comes from in-the-field necessity.

The Navarr are not uncivilised. They may not have the latest in forge-smelting technology or carry around a printing press, but that's because they are forced by their duty to travel. They have no choice. They'll happily take the latest greatest Imperial tech with them - particularly if it's a decent form of waterproofing for a cloak! - but only as long as its portable.

But how does that reconcile with the savagery of the barbed spear, the leather-clad tattooed creatures painted with blood exploding from the trees to rip into the enemy? Surely those are savage primitives?

The Navarri started as a resistance force to fight as much against the barbarian incursions as against the vallorn. They were a small, weak force. So they could not face the enemy on open battlefields, but needed to strike quickly and get away, and in the process of doing so strike such terror into the hearts of the enemies that the enemy would be loath to travel that way again.

They needed to fight as much with fear as with weapons.

So they began to cultivate their image, an image which the Imperial nations often believe as much as the barbarians do. It came originally from the oaths they took and the brands which were a part of that, but was built up into a picture of savage, brutal primitives who are a part of the wild and who use the wild to their advantage. Think of the moment in Brotherhood of the Wolf where the white French aristocrat puts on the Native American makeup and attitude - how much more terrifying does he suddenly become?

What's more effective at stopping barbarians going through a territory - a contingent of orcs being met at the edge of a forest by a force of skirmishers and destroyed, or a contingent of orcs marching into that forest - carefully marked with bones hung from trees - and never coming out again?

The image of the Navarr as these demons-of-the-wild is critical to their effectiveness in battle against the barbarians. So they maintain it carefully, knowing a well-placed skull on a spike is far more effective than a sign saying 'no trespassing'.

Some Navarr adopt this look a lot more strongly than others. These are the 'isolated' Navarr from the costume brief, which essentially means they spend more time out in the wilds potentially facing barbarians. It's a way of life for them to look as terrifying as possible. The so-called 'integrated' Navarr are those who spend more time around the other nations, and less time on the frontier, so need to dress like that less. But there's no clear-cut divide - it's a spectrum.

And, in most cases, all Navarr will dress up and paint themselves up for war: 'putting a game face on,' if you like.

'''Additional Notes (from Damian) '''<br>
The Navarr aren't apologists and find sloughing blame unpalatable. When judgement comes, look it in the eyes and go down smiling. This is how you write your life large on the Great Dance.

"Actions have consequences", "You cannot betray your enemies". Imagine these as the leading man/woman of the movie epic 'Navarr Are a Metric Mega F'ton of Awesome. Part 1' and everything else we add are the extras.

Oh and 'enemy' is not just the one poking you with a sharp stick.

Reap what you sow

2026-08-01T11:26:59Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:379YE Autumn]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"Gregora," called the overseer. "Gregora!"

"What?" asked the surly miner, wrestling her cart full of orichalcum ore to a halt.

"Weren't you meant to be reinforcing the tunnels down in the north-west shaft?"

"Maybe?" she replied, insolently. "What's the bloody point, though? The orcs can reinforce it their bloody selves when they get here."

"Not if it falls down next week, they can't."

"Look," she snapped. "Do you want to leave this all in the ground for them - or do you want to take what we're owed for all our hard work before we're forced to give it up?"

The overseer mulled this over for a moment.

"A good point, well made." he said, and left her to get on with her job.</ic>
==Overview==
The [[Roleplaying_effects#Area_Effects_.28Auras.29|auras]] spread to remind them of the [[A_Miracle_in_Hahnmark|Miracle at Hahnmark]] may have faded, but the miners of [[Skarsind]] are still deeply concerned with their [[Prosperity]]. They are also concerned about the message - apparently originating from [[Casinea#Anvil|Anvil]] - that they have been sold down the river by the rest of [[Wintermark]]. It may be virtuous to [[Relinquish_Skarsind|give a homeland]] to the [[Imperial Orcs]], but is it virtuous for strangers to benefit from their hard work?

No-one is really holding a grudge against the Imperial Orcs, many of the people of Skarsind have a lot of sympathy for the orcs. The Winterfolk have been displaced, or struggled under the tyranny of the [[Thule]], and the Imperial Orcs were instrumental in liberating their home after all. Their actions do not grow out of dislike for the Imperial Orcs, but out of the belief that they deserve to enjoy the rewards of their hard work - that the people of Skarsind should get as much fruit out of their labours as possible before they have to hand off the orchard, as it were.

==Significance==
At present the impact of the dissatisfaction are limited to Skarsind's [[mine|mines]]. The miners are enjoying a windfall as a result, but storing up problems for the future. If this rampant consumption of natural resources is left to continue unchecked, by the Winter Solstice the mountains and hills will be littered with unsafe tunnels. This will make it increasingly difficult to get anything out of the ground without a serious clean-up effort - probably involving a Senate commission and weirwood-and-mithril supports for the broken sections.

The [[forest|foresters]], [[herb garden|gardeners]], and [[mana site|mana producers]] of Skarsind are also looking at the miners' activities with interest and may be persuaded to follow suit. If they do, they will clear-cut forest, pulling up immature plants, and over-harvest their mana sites - assuming it continues to appear to be virtuous so to do.

As this is a [[Wintermark]] matter, motions in the Wintermark National Assembly are likely to carry more weight with the people than in the Virtue Assemblies, especially if it is clear that the [[Wintermark_religious_beliefs|stormcrows]] of Skarsind have participated - although the Prosperity and [[Loyalty]] assemblies may also hold some sway, and the General Assembly is rarely ignored entirely.

A judgement in support of the Winterfolk claiming the wealth they have invested in will encourage the foresters, herb gardens, and mana sites to join the scramble for production. A judgement decrying it will discourage them from doing so and will most likely slow the speed of strip-mining. It is possible, however, that such a judgement may be received poorly and damage the morale of the people of Skarsind even further.

==Hands Full of Dust==
In the south, the marshes of [[Kallavesi]] continue to suffer under the effect of a potent curse. The [[379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_fortune#The_Eldest_Swamp|slow draining of the mana flows]] has not worsened, but it also has not got any better. Crystal mana is in some demand now, after several seasons of shortage and after [[Wolf_in_summer|recent events]] in [[the League]] and [[Urizen]]. A few mystics have reported seeing eerie dancing lights over the [[Kallavesi#Kallavesa Marsh|Kallavesa Marsh]], and mutter grimly about what they portend.

==Resolution==
The Wintermark assembly made not one but two judgements criticising the strip-mining of Skarsind; the Assembly of Loyalty passed a judgement of its own to the same effect. All three judgements described the practice - and those who undertake it - as 'unvirtuous". The wide-spread practice of over production has declined as a consequence, but the morale of the remaining hard-liners in Skarsind has been lowered even further.

Know your enemy

2026-08-01T11:26:45Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:387YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"You've come a long way." The old teacher smiled fondly at his young student. "You've bested me twice today. There is little more I can teach you."

The girl shook her head. Severus was sparing with his praise, claiming that kind words from a teacher were wasted on the young. But even so, she wasn't convinced, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was still not good enough. "I don't feel ready, I worry that I won't be good enough."

The old man frowned at her. "You have no reason to doubt your skills. You are good enough to cross swords with the best scholars in Morrow. But after everything I have taught you, you still open yourself to the world. You let the doubts pour into your mind. Fear. Pity. Compassion. Mercy. All these things serve only to reveal your own limitations to your enemy."

"I know... I try to harden my soul... to forge it into a blade... I can do it when we train. But... it's harder with others."

Severus smiled at her indulgently. "Of course it is hard, but you must try. Any task can be performed perfectly. To doubt this is to fail before you have even begun." He stopped for a moment as if struck by indecision. "Hmmm. Perhaps I can help. Give me your sword." he commanded.

Lucia nodded and handed over the beautiful sword her father had bought for her when she passed her Test of Arms. No more practice blades he had said, you are a sentinel now. Knowing he would not approve of the decisions she'd made was just one of those doubts that her teacher cautioned her against.

Severus took a few practice swings with the elegant weapon, hefting it, feeling its weight as it cut through the air. Satisfied, he indicated for her to hold her arms out in front of her and then lay the blade flat across them. She watched in wonder as he took tiny purple vial from his robes and, with meticulous care, unplugged it. He touched the bottle to his lips, drinking it down with a swift motion, but he ran the tip of his finger round the lip of the bottle before it disappeared into his robes. With a touch like the gentlest wind, he placed a single drop of liao on her forehead and then touched the same finger to the blade.

"I name this blade Veritas. Keep it with you always, and reach for it when you feel your mind weaken and doubts surround your thoughts. You will find the strength to trust your own instincts when this blade is in your hand."

Sensing he was done, Lucia took the weapon by the hilt. Veritas, a beautiful Urizeni name, the perfect name for a scholar's blade. She could feel the power of the hallowing, the certainty that the righteous aura produced was intoxicating.

The old teacher had one last thing to say before the lesson was over. A warning that would be needed to keep his student safe from persecution. "Trust to your instincts always and your actions will be righteous. But keep the blade by your side and do not let others handle it. This aura is for you and you alone. There are many in the Empire who have no love for an aura such as this."

Lucia nodded thoughtfully as she slid Veritas back into its scabbard. Even there she could still feel the heady conviction the weapon possessed. Buoyed up, she considered the challenges ahead... now at last she was ready to set out her own path.
</ic>
{{CaptionedImage|file=CardWisdom.jpg|width=250|caption=Silas of the Cenotaph, Cardinal of Wisdom|align=left}}
==Overview==
At the previous summit, the [[Synod]] were placed in an invidious position - forced to [[The final cut|choose between two outcomes]] that were, for many, equally undesirable. They could align the General Assembly with the [[Vigilance]] assembly and accept that there are Seven Virtues, and that the [[malign spiritual presences]] are so-called because they are dangerous to the Empire and hinder the quest for enlightenment. That would result in the virtuous remaining vigilant against the teachings or influence of so-called "false virtues". The cost to ensure that the Empire remained pure in this way would be to raise further questions about why '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', the current [[Cardinal of Wisdom]], remains in post despite them openly bearing an aura of false virtue.

The only alternative offered was to align the General Assembly with the [[Wisdom]] Assembly and accept the need to explore spiritual powers other than the Seven Virtues. That would mean the virtuous being open to the idea that false virtues might be forces that benefit humanity. It would have opened up opportunities to explore the false virtues but at the price of seeing them flower across the Empire.

Faced with this dichotomy, the Synod has chosen to close the door on the malign spiritual presences, sending '''Viviane Barossa''' to spread a mandate across the Empire reminding people of the [[387YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement 7|dangers of the false virtues]] and encouraging them to remain vigilant.

==Settle For Nothing==
* '''The Imperial Synod has enacted a mandate denouncing the pursuit of "false virtues"
* '''The mandate has had no effect in Urizen, Varushka, or Wintermark
The Imperial Synod has opted to forgo the opportunity to explore the malign spiritual forces, and instead keep the Empire pure. The mandate spread by Viviane Barossa did not get a [[greater majority]], however. Indeed there was considerable opposition to it. However, it did pass with a clear majority of over a thousand votes. Backed by the words of the Synod, citizens in most nations of the Empire will turn their back on the allure of false virtues. Many will look to challenge those they believe may be involved with these dangerous powers, or even report their suspicions to relevant authorities.

The notable exception to these arrangements are in [[Urizen]], [[Varushka]], and [[Wintermark]]. There is a healthy degree of scepticism towards the Synod in these nations - and as a result mandates that fail to achieve a greater majority are ineffective there. The impact of that seems muted, at least for now, but the Synod is storing up trouble for the future. Even now figures like ''[[A wisdom of questions|Severus of the Blinding Sun]]'', the old traditionalist [[sword scholar]], are peddling teachings of [[Malign spiritual presences#Hatred|Hate]] across citadels in Urizen. When loyal priests claim that the false virtues must be denounced, Severus easily refutes their words by pointing out that there are members of the Assembly of Nine who bear those self-same auras. Not that Severus hangs around to debate them much - he makes a point of never preaching in the same place twice and disappears into the hills when he gets the slightest hint that the authorities might seek to apprehend him.

There is nothing that can be done to avoid this fate right now - the poison is in the flesh and the body must heal itself. Elsewhere the majority of the Imperial nations will be fine. There may still be a few [[Religious_crime#Heresy|heretics]] proposing [[Malign spiritual presences#Anarchy|anarchy]] or [[Malign spiritual presences#Peace|peace]] just as there always have been, but they will likely be quickly identified and dealt with before they have become well-established. The situation will be very different in Urizen, Varushka, and Wintermark - heresy is much more likely here now as people are more open to the idea of exploring false virtues - when that happens it will put down deep roots that will be painful and difficult to uproot.

The mandate has also sent message to the magistrates involved in the rework of [[Religious crime|religious law]], making it clear that the Synod considers these spiritual powers to be [[Religious crime#Blasphemy|blasphemous]] and heretical, and encourage them to make decisions appropriately.
==Take the Power Back==
* '''There are questions about the hallows of Peace that may be at the heart of the Synod
* '''There is a risk that the ability of the virtue and national assemblies to reach hearts and minds may be reduced
Passing the judgement still leaves the notable issue of what to do about those individuals who accepted the Peace [[aura|auras]] - notably the [[Cardinal of Wisdom]] who remains in position and his colleagues. They have escaped punishment by the law, due to the collapse of the trial, so what is their standing now? Two of the three cardinals stepped down - does the Cardinal of Wisdom now accept the verdict of the General Assembly or do they stand by their position that it was right to explore the false virtues? Will the General Assembly now try to remove the Cardinal from his position as they tried to do with the Cardinal of Ambition?
{{SOP|statement=The malign spiritual presences are a direct <u>threat</u> to the Empire. We send Viviane Barossa with 75 doses of liao to warn the virtuous folk of the Empire that their vigilance <u>must</u> continue. For nearly 400 years we have kept these dangerous forces at bay, and we must <u>not</u> drop our guard now.|by=Viviane Barossa, General Assembly mandate|vote=1526-464|when=378YE Spring Equinox|size=small}}
The embrace of Peace and the subsequent ambivalent responses have already undermined the authority of the [[Assembly of the Nine]]. Cynics point out that the priest who raised the mandate is the same Viviane Barossa who accepted the attempt by [[Axos]] to spread malign spiritual presence of Peace to the Empire. Do those words ''really'' represent what the former [[cardinal]] thinks, or is she even now under the influence of some malign aura? Three of the four still ''possess the heretical relics given to them by the Axou'' (the one borne by Zadkiel was destroyed by the [[Court Reports|actions]] of '''Vitore Von Temeschwar'''). They swore not to wall themselves off from the influence of Peace. If the Synod agree that they must keep these dangerous forces at bay then perhaps they could all start by removing the three auras of Peace remaining in the heart of the Synod?

The Synod has acted to prevent the spread of heresy in most nations of the Empire, but if they do not find a way to publicly deal with the presence of these false virtues then the loss of credibility experienced by the Assembly of Nine will spread and it will become harder for the Virtue and national assemblies to move hearts and minds of the Empire with [[statement of principle|statements of principle]].
{{SOP|statement=I, Silas of the Cenotaph, warn that Peace is not Apathetic it is an active Vindictive force. It is not an absence of violence it is instead a last resort. It is the demand to take on the opinions, suffering and ideas of others no matter who they are. This I have warned, this I demand we destroy wherever we find it, this I have learned. I await and welcome judgement.|by=Silas, Assembly of Nine|vote=9-0 (Greater Majority)|when=Spring Equinox 387YE|size=small}}
People are also eager to hear from the Wisdom Assembly on the matter of their cardinal, now that the Synod has said that people must not embrace false virtues. The Cardinal has defended his actions in terms of the Wisdom and learning gained from his experience with Peace - and received the strong backing of the Assembly. The other two cardinals both resigned their position, one immediately, one in the face of an impending revocation. The Cardinal of Wisdom does not appear to have any intention of doing that, and thus far the General Assembly seem disinclined to revoke him.

One of the problems is that Silas has been very clear that he believes Peace is "not apathetic" but "vindictive". He has demanded that the virtuous "destroy wherever we find it". But he is ''also'' Cardinal of Wisdom, a virtue whose dedicates embrace the idea that the virtuous should "''test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth''." Those who look to Wisdom for their inspiration will always want to test the findings of another - even if those findings come from the Cardinal of Wisdom.

Most of the faithful have accepted the mandate as the end of the matter and moved on from the issue. Their only concern now is the presence of these hallowed items in Anvil. But many Wisdom priests are keen to know if '''Silas of the Cenotaph''' remains defiant in the face of the Synod's decision. If he says nothing then people will assume that he has accepted the Synod's judgement then nothing more will come of it.
{{SOP|statement=We, the Wisdom Assembly Understand that theological experiments are part of the Way. However such experiments require careful safeguards and observation. We ask that any such experiments are conducted in full view of the Wisdom assembly so we can assist you in doing so with Virtue.|by=Amris Johan Merikovich, Wisdom Assembly|vote=356-18 (Greater Majority)|when=Spring Equinox 378YE|size=small}}
But if the cardinal openly defies the mandate and continues to assert the Wisdom of his actions in the public record, then [[dedication|dedicates]] of Wisdom across the Empire will be inspired to follow him. On the face of it, the Cardinal appears to have a strong argument for their actions - much of which does seem to accord with the guidance on Wisdom. If they choose to stick to their position, then that will place the Wisdom Assembly at odds with the wider Synod. This is not an unusual position for the Assembly, which has been here before, most recently over the matter of the sword scholars and the wisdom of questioning authority. If the faithful believe that the Wisdom Assembly supports the embrace of false virtues as a way to discover more about them, then the words of the General Assembly will not deter very many of them.

There have been statements like the most recent one by '''Amris Johan Merikovich''' that seem to imply that Silas' actions are not only acceptable but virtuous - making the claim that the Wisdom Assembly are the right people in the Empire to investigate false virtues. The Cardinal of Wisdom is due for re-election at the coming Solstice, so the whole Wisdom Assembly is likely to have an opportunity to pass the final word on this matter.

The one position that nobody will accept is the idea that cardinals and the priests who attend [[Anvil]] should be free to investigate false Virtues while the common people of the Empire must not. People look to the Synod for leadership, they look to the Synod to embody the Virtues and exemplify them. They want the Synod to lift up the most Virtuous, to extol and promote Virtue, to represent the best of what the Empire has to offer. It's not reasonable, but they expect the priests of Anvil to ''behave'' better than they do, not to ''be'' better than they are. People are not that worried about the presence of a lone priest in some obscure part of [[the Marches]] who is prone to talking about how much they hate the [[Jotun]] a little too often. They are deeply concerned about the presence of powerful malign spiritual auras at the heart of the Empire exerting a compelling influence on the souls of the people elected to embody Virtue.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Vigilance.png|align=right|width=150}}

==War Within a Breath==
* '''The Vigilance Assembly could employ the Silent Bell to find out more about false virtues'''
* '''The sodality could infiltrate threats to find out about one malign spiritual presence each season'''
* '''They could not investigate anything else while doing this'''
A frequent point raised in the debate is the need to discover more about the false virtues. People see the importance of this - the wider Empire knows little about the auras of the false virtues or the tenets of those who extol their benefits. That makes it harder to remain vigilant, and harder to identify the influence of a false virtue. The more the Empire knew about the false virtues, the more Vigilant they could be in weeding out their pernicious influence.
{{SOP|statement=The malign spiritual forces are categorised as such because they encourage acts detrimental to the choices and actions required to achieve enlightenment. Or because they are detrimental to the creation of a society in which such choices and actions can be freely made. All virtuous citizens should abhor and shun them. However they are forces used by enemies of the Empire, and without the knowledge of what we face we are less prepared to fight them. This is an unwelcome truth we all need to face. Until the Imperial Synod decides how investigation into these forces should be carried out. No citizen should take experimentation into their own hands.|size=small|by=Melchior of Adina’s Charge, Courage Assembly|vote=246-30 ((Greater Majority))|when=Spring Equinox 378YE}}
The decision of the Synod to reject the influence of false virtues has ensured that most people do not believe it is a good idea to open yourself to the influence of the auras of a false virtue in the hope of learning more about them. One scathing priest likens it to the idea of trying to identify whether a glass of wine has been poisoned by drinking it.

Recent contact with Axos has exposed a number of citizens to the false virtues. The Synod urged these people to come forward for [[inquisition]], but there is scant evidence in the [[387YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements|Assembly judgements]] that anyone actually did so. In theory those who have deliberately embroiled themselves in the [[It_never_happened#A_Nest_of_Vipers|Axou sects]] devoted to false virtues might be able to provide useful information - presuming they can be trusted to deal honestly. The Synod judgement implies that considerable leniency will be shown to those who come forward, but given they could face death for their actions if they were condemned by the Vigilance Assembly then it could be in their interests to present their actions and what they discovered in the best possible light.

'''Melchior of Adina’s Charge''' scathingly denounced the use of "false virtue," but also presented an unwelcome truth that must be faced - that enemies of the Empire embrace these powers and seek to employ them against the virtuous. No citizen, said Melchior, should take these matters into their own hands. Even those who are not dedicants of Courage can see the virtue of these words. Yet Melchior also speaks of the need for the Imperial Synod to find out how they can find out about these weapons. Their words strike a chord, and lead to a proposal from within a different assembly.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Courage.png|align=right|width=150}}
A better option than embracing false virtues would be to send the Vigilant to find out this information, not through embracing false virtues, but through infiltration and espionage. Under normal circumstances the [[Silent Bell (Sodality)|Silent Bell]] restrict themselves to investigating threats to the Empire from within its borders, but the sodality have been inspired both by the commitment of their assembly at Anvil to confronting and condemning cardinals, and by the words of the Courage assembly. As a result, they are prepared to put their particular set of skills to good use. If the Assembly believes it to be worthwhile, then members of the sodality will attempt to infiltrate or spy on those people who use false auras to learn what they can about them.
{{SOP|statement=Pride tells us to embrace our past, Wisdom tells us that all knowledge is incomplete, Vigilance tells us to expose the truth. The synod urges those who went to Solokha and became dedicants of false virtues to declare themselves and to come forward for inquisition. This action will serve both their personal Pride by displaying rather than hiding their actions, the Wisdom of the Empire by expanding our knowledge of these presences, and our Vigilance as it increases our awareness of these potential threats. While this declaration will not make them immune from consequences, if their actions were undertaken virtuously, they should be treated as such.|size=small|by=Iniska Ashwood, General Assembly|when=Spring Equinox 378YE|vote=1550-62}}
There is a potential fly in the ointment however. The Silent Bell are no longer prepared to listen to the Assembly of Nine with regard to what they should investigate. As followers of Vigilance they are utterly committed to rooting out the pernicious influence of false virtues. It is impossible for them to reconcile that approach with the recent actions of the Assembly of Nine.

Instead, they will look to the Vigilance Assembly. A [[statement of principle]] that specifically directs the Silent Bell to investigate something will be sufficient as long as it passes - it doesn't even need a [[greater majority]]. In the event more than one just [[judgement]] is raised and upheld by the assembly, they will follow the one with the greatest margin of success. Where there are any reports to be fulfilled, they'll pass them to the priest who raised the judgement. This is a change, but one that has been brewing for a while. The recent criticism of the Assembly of Nine, especially when it arguably placed them in opposition to the Vigilance assembly, has finally come to a head.

The sodality intends to report the information they find to the raising priest, and then pass it to the [[Civil Service|civil service]] to be published after the summit is over. That way nobody will be tempted to "experiment" with false virtues because the answers will be public knowledge - and better still, they can recognise such auras for what they are should they encounter them. However some members of the sodality believe it would be better to know ''nothing'' about the false virtues - that the more Imperial citizens know about them, the more individuals will be tempted to embrace them. The Vigilance Assembly must decide then, whether to proceed or not. The Silent Bell are prepared to take any risks necessary to investigate a malign spiritual aura each season, if the Assembly instructs them to do so, and if they identify where they should go to seek answers.

There are six malign spiritual forces commonly recognised within the Empire - each of which could be the subject of a single investigation by the Silent Bell. Obtaining this information will be expensive, involve significant risks and requires the Synod have a credible lead that the sodality can follow. The Silent Bell would need to follow up existing leads - and they would not be able to investigate any other matter while they were engaged in spying on or infiltrating a group to learn more. Worst of all, if the members of the sodality were caught, there could be drastic consequences.

However, the rewards might be worth it. If the Assembly of Vigilance set the sodality to investigate a credible lead then the civil service will create a briefing that includes full details of all the auras that priests of the false virtue are able to create, along with a description of the virtue as it is "practiced" by its exponents. The Empire could learn what those devoted to a false virtue believe it represents to them along with information on the common symbols employed by them.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Fire Whirl.jpg|align=right|caption=Vengeance, which they incorrectly call "Justice", is one of the five flames of the Faraden faith.|width=300}}</div>
===Justice/Vengeance===
* '''The Silent Bell could spy on Faraden to learn about Vengeance'''
* '''If members of the sodality are caught, they will be expelled and the nation will be angered'''
The most obvious avenue to find out more about the malign spiritual aura of [[Malign spiritual presences#Vengeance|Vengeance]], would be the [[Faraden]]. These people call this virtue "Justice" and regard it as a crucial part of [[On Faraden faith|their faith]] - one of the five "flames" - Courage, Loyalty, Justice, Prosperity and Pride. The widespread embrace of Vengeance in Faraden means that it would be easier to discover not just what the auras are, but also the tenets and principles of the Justice priests.

The risk is that any such attempt could be misconstrued as spying. Religious disagreements have been at the core of most Imperial conflicts with the Faraden in recent years and while they currently enjoy good relations, they would be soured if the Empire were caught spying on the faithful. The leaders of that nation would assume the worst and those who dislike the Empire would present this as a clear example of the Empire's perfidy.

Of course, any spies might not get caught, but the nature of espionage is that there is simply ''no way to tell''. Imperial prognosticators have done everything they can to divine this and it is clear that there is no way to know what will happen. The outcome is simply too dependent on fate. The best they can say is that the Empire would be bound to find out what they want to know, but it would be a literal coin flip whether their spies are caught or not.

One way to guarantee to avoid that outcome would be for the Imperial [[Ambassador to Faraden]] to write to their opposite number and ask permission to travel there to study their religion. If the Empire had permission, then there would be no need for spying. The weakness of this approach is that if the Faraden refuse the request - which they might well do as they are notoriously tetchy about their faith - then any subsequent decision to send spies there would guarantee discovery. The Empire might still learn what the Faraden known about Vengeance, but the Faraden would be certain to learn that they had been spied on ''after'' they turned down the Empire's request, this ensuring the maximum diplomatic fallout.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Alikos Helio.jpg|caption=The religion of Axos is based on a "fundamental truth" completely at odds with the Way of virtue.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
===Understanding/Peace===
* '''The Silent Bell could spy on Kaban in Axos to verify what they have been told about Peace'''
* '''If members of the sodality are caught, they will be expelled and the nation will be angered'''
* '''Diplomatic overtures to Tsark could enable the Empire to learn more about Peace from them'''
The simplest way to learn more about the malign spiritual aura of Peace would be via [[Axos]], where a number of people practice the false virtue, as part of their strange and blasphemous beliefs. Some people have even claimed the Peace-hallowed items born by the cardinals as clear evidence of a plot to suborn the Empire's faith. However, the original message from ''Ilarch Kyther Deianeira'' - now ''Grand Ilarch Kyther of [[Axos#Tunnels of Kaban|Kaban]]'' - claimed that the offer of the auras of Peace was in response to a request made through official diplomatic channels by the [[Ambassador to Axos]], '''Fintan Nighthaven'''. He arranged for his political ally, ''Theodosia Azesos'' (''Theosodia of [[Axos#Gates_of_Ipotavo|Ipotavo]]'' until recent political developments in Ipotavo) to send the priest who conducted the fateful [[hallow|hallowings]] - on objects that the Empire provided.

In fact Theodosia has been remarkably open with the Empire, keen perhaps to see the "virtue" she calls "''Understanding''" flower, she has provided lengthy writing on the subject to various Imperial citizens. Those who have seen it admit it is very detailed - but given that it comes from a [[religious crime#Heresy|heretic]], is not certain how truthful it is. Before they spread such knowledge around the Empire, it would be Vigilant to try to verify as much as possible of what the Empire has been told.

The Empire has engaged in espionage operations in Axos in recent times on multiple occasions - the [[Shuttered Lantern]] infiltrated many of the citadels, bringing back valuable knowledge of their political, magical, and religious dispositions. A similar operation by the Silent Bell, but focussed on groups like the ''Scholars of the Searching Soul'' as well as other Axos sects who embrace Peace would give the Empire a way to verify everything they have learned and be more confident that they have sifted fact from fiction.

Alternatively, there is another nation the Empire knows that appears to embrace Peace - the secretive mountain territory of [[Tsark]]. It would be impossible to send the Silent Bell to Tsark - the only passes through the mountains are guarded day and night and visitors are politely turned back. But it might be possible to send a diplomatic communication to them and what price they might demand to share what they know with the Empire.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Suran.PNG|align=left|caption=A dark chapter in recent Imperial history may hold the key to understanding Anarchy.|width=300}}</div>
===Freedom/Anarchy===
* '''The citizen who warned the Montanians the Empire was planning to wipe them out could try to approach the survivors living in the Forest of Peytaht'''
* '''The Silent Bell could spy on the Iron Confederacy to learn about Freedom'''
* '''If members of the sodality are caught, they will be executed and the nation will be angered'''
The Empire has a bloody history with the malign spiritual aura of [[Malign spiritual presences#Anarchy|Anarchy]]. The [[Freedom Heresy]] when a number of violent rebels chose to enter [[the Barrens]], planning to build a nation of the free there is infamous. The original attempt ended in violence but not all of them were slain. Their descendants, the [[Not_to_conquer#Montanians|Montanians]] played an important role in the peace negotiations between the Barrens [[orc|Orcs]] and the Empire, until they were also [[Ripples_and_shadows#Hope's_Rest|cut down]] by the [[Northern Eagle]].

The death of the Montanians makes it much harder for the Empire to learn more about the virtue of Freedom. Harder... but not completely impossible. A handful of Montanians survived the massacre. Warned of the impending attack by sympathisers within the Empire, those who could fight gave their lives to save those who couldn't. Their children and those too sick to fight fled to safety; to the [[The_Barrens#Eaves_of_Peytaht|eaves]] of the [[Great Forest of Peytaht]] where they were taken in by their allies the [[Great Forest Orcs]]. If the Empire wants to learn about Freedom, the surest way to find out more would be to speak to those Montanians who survived the destruction of their sept at the hands of the Varushkans.

The problem is that it's impossible to imagine that the survivors would want to have ''anything'' to do with the Empire. Any general attempt to approach them in a peaceful manner is certain to fail. The Montanians apparently believed they had a peace treaty signed by the [[Senate]] that would protect them - they will not soon trust the Empire again. In their minds, the Empire is synonymous with treachery, lies, and murder. Spying on them would be equally impossible - even the Navarr members of the sodality would struggle to infiltrate a tiny handful of survivors hidden away by the Great Forest Orcs.

There is ''one'' citizen who might be able to approach them - the person who sent the [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messenger]] warning them that the Empire was coming to kill them all. If the Synod can find the person - or persons - who warned the Montanians then that individual might be able to approach the survivors and convince them to talk. It might not be easy to find them; since that person likely [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_of_Position|committed treason]] by warning the Montanians, a crime which carries the death penalty, they might prefer to remain unknown.

A more realistic alternative would be to ask the Silent Bell to spy on the [[Iron Confederacy]]. Several years ago, a group of slaves fled the Iron Confederacy and came over the border to the Brass Coast [[Hard_times|hoping to escape the wrath of the Suranni dukes]]. When the Empire discovered that the group were inspired by a charismatic leader who embraced the malign spiritual power of Freedom, they refused to give the slaves sanctuary and [[Heroes|invited the Suranni to enter Feroz and reclaim the escaped slaves]]. Those that lived were dragged back to Kalino in chains by the Duke.

They're likely still alive - somewhere in the Iron Confederacy, most likely in Kalino. The Suranni may have officially disavowed slavery, but the lot of their serfs is not that much better. If the Empire could find them, they could make contact with them and learn more about Freedom. Unlike the Montanians, this group are unlikely to know that the role of the Empire in their downfall, so ''provided they never learn that fact'' they have no reason not to trust any Imperial who tries to make contact. To many of them the Empire represents Freedom, after all.

Of course, spying on the Iron Confederacy carries even greater risks than spying on the Faraden. Any spies are just as likely to get caught, there is simply ''no way to tell'' if they will get away without being detected or not. Like Faraden, the outcome would be a coin toss. However the downside of getting caught would be even worse. Recent improvements in relations with the Iron Confederacy would be reversed and the spies themselves would all be executed.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=NBUrizen.jpg|caption=There are some sword scholars who refuse to set aside their hatred hiding in the mountains of Urizen.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
===Purity/Hatred===
* '''The Silent Bell could spy on sword scholars like Severus of the Blinding Sun to learn about Hatred'''
* '''If members of the sodality are caught, they will be executed'''
The malign spiritual aura of [[Malign Spiritual Presences#Hatred|Hatred]] is not unknown in the Empire. The people of [[Mournwold#Whittle|Whittle in the Mournwold]] relied on the strength of Hatred to fight off the [[Jotun]] for many years. Sadly, they are gone now, when the attempts to reintegrate them into the Empire predictably failed. Such incidents are not uncommon however - the Marcher Assembly may denounce Hatred, but there are households in the Marches who are still nursing grudges to this day that are considerably older than the Assembly.

Not just the Marchers, there are mentions of Purity here and there in the history of the Highborn. According to some, there were many Highborn who expected the early Synod to embrace the "virtue" they called Purity, and more than a few who refused to give it up when the Synod denounced it. A recent piece of [[historical research]] commissioned by '''Caleb of the Cenotaph''' as [[Minister of Historical Research]] delved into the teachings and practice of hatred and the document it produced -''[[Maude, and the nature of Hatred]]'' - is available across the Empire. Even today it seems constant Vigilance is required to keep the pernicious influence of Hatred out of Highguard - and there are notable failures that [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_179|reach right to the top of Highborn society]].

The largest extant group of followers of Hatred that anyone knows about are among those [[sword scholar|sword scholars]] who refused to abandon their support for the teachings of [[Sulemaine]] when told to do so by the Synod. Many of these sword scholars were devotees of [[Wisdom]] but some, like ''Severus of the Blinding Sun'', were passionate about the power of Hatred. Rather than renounce their beliefs, they retreated into the mountains of Urizen, where they live in hiding to this day.

The Empire could send the Silent Bell to spy on Severus and his peers. Like the other groups mentioned, any attempt to spy on them risks the spies being uncovered - there are even odds of that happening. Of course the sword scholars are not going to represent any kind of diplomatic threat - they already dislike the Empire so relations couldn't really get much worse. The problem will be for the spies themselves. Sulemaine brutally executed those priests who couldn't defend their views in the face of her hostility - if the sword scholars catch members of the Silent Bell spying on them, they won't hesitate to hunt them all down and execute every last one of them they can find in "their" mountains.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Druj3.jpg|caption=Attempting to uncover the dark practices of the Druj is a very different matter to spying on their armies or territories.|align=right|width=300}}</div>
===Fear/Dread===
* '''The Silent Bell could spy on the Druj to learn about Fear'''
* '''They will recover what information they can before the majority are inevitably caught and brutally executed'''
The Druj are the undisputed masters of [[Malign spiritual presences#Fear|Fear]], creating [[Druj_miasma#Miasma_Pillars|miasma pillars]] to spread an [[Druj miasma|insidious atmosphere]] across the lands they claim that cow their subject septs and breaks their will. If the Vigilance Assembly believes that it is worth the cost, then the Silent Bell are prepared to spy on the Druj to learn what they can about their understanding of this force.

Infiltrating Druj lands is extraordinarily difficult and dangerous, for everyone in the sodality. The human members of the sodality will find it particularly difficult, but even the [[Imperial Orcs|Unshackled]] will struggle. The sodality are certain that they will be able to find out something about Fear - how the Druj create it and what they believe is happening. But the cost will be brutal - they are bound to be caught and the majority of those that head into [[the Mallum]] will not make it back alive. They are resigned to this fate if the Assembly asks it of them - they understand the importance of seeking out the poison in your neighbour’s fields and know that dying in pursuit of Vigilance is a virtuous path.

===Hope/Trust===
* '''The Silent Bell are not aware of any group that embraces Hope'''
* '''The Assembly would need to find a lead to investigate this'''
While [[Malign spiritual presences#Hope|Hope]] is periodically talked about as a false virtue, few Imperial citizens have any experience of it. There are rumours of [[Aura#Spontaneous_Auras|spontaneous auras]] that seem tied to Hope, but there are no reliable accounts of anyone using [[liao]] to create such auras. If there ''is'' a group of people, anywhere in the world, that embrace Hope as a virtue, then the Silent Bell would be happy to try to infiltrate them, no matter the risks, but the Synod would need to find a suitable target.

If the Silent Bell investigate the other five false virtues, and no lead has been found for Hope, then they will present the Cardinal of Vigilance with a report on anything they have discovered about Hope during the course of their activities. Without a group to spy on, it won't amount to the same information as the others, but it might still be useful.

===Other Spiritual Forces===
* '''It is possible that other spiritual forces exist.'''
* '''If this comes to light, the Silent Bell could investigate an appropriate group.'''
It is entirely possible that other malign spiritual forces exist. People have spoken of ''Unity'' and of ''Greed'' as false virtues in the past but there is little to go on when it comes to finding someone who actively pursues these things. The Silent Bell can't investigate a false virtue without knowing who they are trying to infiltrate!

==Wake Up==
* '''The Silent Bell can only investigate one thing each season - if they pursue one of these leads they cannot do anything else'''
* '''If members of the Silent Bell are caught and executed, then that will damage the sodality's capabilities'''
* '''The first time it happens, there will be no mechanical effect'''
* '''If that happens, we will lay out what the consequences would be if more members were caught and killed'''

Spying is dangerous and in many cases the spies can expect to be killed if they are caught. If that happens, then it will weaken the sodality. With less people remaining, it will make it harder for them to carry out similar work in the future.

The first time it happens, people will die, but the loss of life won't be enough to damage the sodality's ability to investigate threats. However, if any further spying operations go wrong, it would do enduring damage to the sodality. We will lay out what these consequences would be in a wind of fortune update, if members of the sodality were to be caught and killed on a second expedition.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly Wintermark.png|align=right|width=150}}
==Testify==
* '''The Wintermark Assembly has used a mandate to urge citizens to turn their back of the guidance of the General Assembly'''
* '''Wintermark is no longer affected by mandates passed by other assemblies unless they achieve a greater majority'''
* '''Wintermark will now be more vulnerable to the influence of cults looking to spread false virtues'''
* '''The nation could enact a mandate to reject false virtues to defend Wintermarkers against their influence'''
{{SOP|statement=Despise folly and chastise the fool who spreads it. We send Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark with 50 doses of liao to encourage Wintermark citizens to heed the guidance of the stormcrows and ignore the judgements of other assemblies. Cold cannot compromise.|by=Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark, Wintermark Assembly|vote=220-58 (Greater Majority)|when=Spring Equinox 378YE|size=small}}
Leading members of the Wintermark Assembly criticised the Assembly of Nine for the decision to expose themselves to malign spiritual forces, calling them irresponsible and accusing them of acting with reckless disregard for the Empire's wellbeing. The judgement concluded with a collective plea from the [[Stormcrow|Stormcrows]] at Anvil for the people of Wintermark to turn their backs on the other assemblies.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Winter Stormcrow.jpg|width=250|caption=Stormcrows push others to live up to the legacy of heroes.|align=left}}
Faced with an opportunity to back up their words with liao, the Assembly gave Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark permission to travel the length and breadth of Wintermark encouraging people to heed the guidance of the stormcrows and ignore the judgements of other assemblies. As a result of their commitment, Wintermark will not be affected by any mandate passed by any assembly of the Synod, other than the Wintermark Assembly, unless it passes with a greater majority.
{{SOP|statement=Malign spiritual auras are not to be trifled with. Should you encounter an aura of malign or unknown providence, you should go to a Stormcrow so they may assess and deal with it. If you are under the effect of a malign influence, the Stormcrows can and will guide you back to Virtue and your heroic skein.|by=Rafe, Wintermark Assembly|vote=288-10 (Greater Majority)|when=Spring Equinox 378YE|size=small}}
As a result of this decision, the mandate by the General Assembly urging people to remain vigilant and to turn their back on the false virtues will not have a significant effect in any Wintermark territory. Urizen and Varushka are similarly affected, due to their own longstanding issues with the Synod. Ironically, although it was the embrace of false virtue that caused Wintermark to reject the Assembly of Nine and the Synod, the message that people have taken from it is to reject the Synod unless it speaks with the clear authority of a greater majority, not to reject false virtues themselves. As a result Wintermark will be more vulnerable to the spread of false virtues, as it has ignored the Synod's mandate to reject them.

Alert to this danger, the Wintermark Assembly have urged everyone who encounters a malign spiritual aura to consult with a stormcrow so that they can help guide them back to virtue. Such words will mean little however if they are not backed up with the force of a mandate. Sadly, this means the Assembly will now be forced to find their own liao to enforce their mandates - such is the price of independence.

{{Mandate|mandate=Cold cannot compromise. We send (named priest) with 75 doses of liao to urge anyone who encounters an aura of malign or unknown providence to speak with the Crows. They will help you mend your skein|assembly=Wintermark Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then the faithful of Wintermark will be alert to the dangers of false auras and will bring them to the attention of a Stormcrow so that they can be dealt with. That won't stop the spread of false virtues by itself, but it will mean the nation enjoys the same protection against false virtues as other parts of the Empire.

==On The Risks of Espionage (Game Design)==
Under normal circumstances our winds of fortune present the Empire with a set of known outcomes and invite them to choose between them. Our goal is to provide players with informed choices - they may not always like the choices they have, but they always know what the outcomes are going to be, so they can make an informed decision.

The real world is rarely predictable, but a crucial theme of espionage is the ''risk'' of discovery and betrayal. We wanted to capture that with the options for the Synod here, so we've deliberately taken a different approach with this plot - if the Silent Bell are sent to spy on the [[Druj]], they will definitely be caught and executed, but if the players opt to send spies to Faraden, Axos or Urizen then we will ''literally flip a coin'' to decide if those spies are discovered or not. In all cases, the Empire will gain the information they are seeking - but there is a 50/50 risk of a high price to be paid for that information. There is no way to know what the outcome will be in advance because ''we'' do not know - the outcome will be random.

The only thing you can know for sure is that you definitely do not know. Deciding if that ''risk'' is worth the benefits is a crucial part of this plot.
==Further Reading==
* [[The final cut]] - 387YE Spring wind of fortune charting the crisis around malign spiritual auras
* [[A little understanding]] - 386YE Winter wind of fortune discussing the initial repercussions of the peaceful decision
* [[Malign spiritual presences]]

All along the watchtower

2026-08-01T11:26:31Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:381YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>
"Well if that's how you see it, them's your choices, Mournwolder! Suck it up!" Jasna pushed her seat back, as she shouted at the local sat opposite her. His reaction startled her. He started laughing. Bitter, hollow laughter.

"Oh really schlacta? Don't you know our history? There's ''never'' just two choices." He leaned in, his face angry and intimidating.

"We're Marchers... when our backs are to the wall, and some arrogant prick is trying to tell us how important it is that we toe the line and do as we're told ... we ''march''."

And at that he stood up, threw a handful of coins on the table, and walked out of the tavern."</ic>
__TOC__
==Overview==
For thirty years much of the Mournwold has languished under Jotun control. A handful of villages held out along with Overton in Greensward, but for many the Empire became a distant memory. As the seasons turned a generation were born knowing nothing but Jotun dominion. Now at last a great host of Imperial armies has entered the Mourn. But the Empire's magic designed to bleed the Jotun has claimed many innocent lives. With the destruction wrought by their magic it seems certain that the Empire will defeat the Jotun - what is less certain is how they will claim victory.

Imperial generals have been meticulous in issuing orders to their troops instructing them to avoid any civilian casualties, but while their concern is worthy the instructions are unnecessary. Imperial armies are made up of professional soldiers, drilled and disciplined; not some ravening fire destroying everything in their path. Imperial officers strive to ensure the minimum civilian casualties from their actions unless they are specifically ordered to by their generals. Ironically the Jotun fight in a very similar style. The deaths of countless Mournwold civilians have not happened as the result of soldiers run amok at any point - they happened when the Imperial magicians explicitly summoned magic to bring death to everyone in the territory. The legacy of this act lingers in the grim demeanour of every yeoman the Imperial armies encounter.

Now that act has been complemented by the actions of the Iron Helms as they pursue their merciless onslaught against the Jotun, using any tactics necessary to break their enemies' spirit. This strategy is succeeding - the Jotun are falling back in ''terror''. General Akstis Eigulys of the Iron Helms has given clear orders that his troops are only to slaughter the Jotun warriors in this way - no civilians are assaulted, they are allowed to pass unhindered. No Mournwold or orc civilian (of which there are many) have been harmed - but for the actions of the Iron Helms to work they ''have to be visible to everyone''. Perhaps if this order had not come a season after the Empire used magic to kill a sixth of the population of the Mournwold things might have been different. But with that recent deed still fresh in their memory, many Mournwolders are watching the cruelty of the Iron Helms and thinking about what that means for them should the General issue fresh orders next season.

==Significance==
The situation in the Mournwold is dire. Imperial soldiers are now openly shunned, or driven away with rough music. This is not what most Marchers had in mind when they set out to free the Mourn. The Jotun are clearly on the back foot, but the mood of the Mourn grows darker with every passing season. The Empire has just put out one fire in the north, it will need to find a way back from this abyss if it is to avoid starting many more.

At present the situation is so complicated that the civil service are unable to identify a single clear action that the Empire could take to redress the situation. Instead they have identified a number of different approaches the Empire might consider, all of which would have some effect if they could be done - but not enough by themselves. But if the Empire pursued most of the options identified at this stage, it would at least be enough to get prominent Mournworlders to talk to them about the problem.

What categorically will not work at this stage is words. The Way teaches that there is no virtue in words - only in actions. There is nothing people can ''say'' to the people of the Mournwold at this time that is going to change this situation - but the right ''actions'' might be sufficient to ''start'' addressing the problem.

==Spring==
<ic>Shem shifted slightly where he sat on the moss covered boulder, and looked down across the valley with its light sprinkling of woods. He smiled for a moment at how well his backside fitted into the groove in the old rock. That's tradition right there, he thought. six, seven centuries of Landskeeper arse wearing a stone down until it's comfy.

He pulled out the folded parchment, and silently read it for the third time, his lips moving slowly as he read.

"our Empire has begun to lose ... it is not too late ... uplift the spirit ... I do not believe that the children of the Jotun are ‘monsters’, to be thus scourged ... It is only with your will and when we act together - in inspiration and benevolence - that we shall ultimately prevail."

He scratched at a scab of bark on his cheek, sighed, folded the letter carefully and put it away again.

Landry and Becks turned up together, as was their wont. There was the usual slightly stilted exchange of pleasantries and small talk.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news," she began. Pleasantries were over. Shem stood up and joined her by the old stone.

"I like to start with the good news," he said.

"Well there isn't any." she snapped. "Tell him, Landry."

"I spoke to a tinker at the market," Landry chimed in. "The problem with the regio? It's not just us. Oliver Ashill says it's up his way too, says everyone is asking about it. She said it's the same in Madeiras as well. And Becks spoke..."

"Euan Blackswan says it's everywhere," Becks interrupted. "Whole empire. Not a single coven can draw on a single Spring regio."

"Oh." Shem said. He knew he wasn't really adding much to the conversation but he just felt so ... hollow. Cold to his stomach. Empty. All that work... for nothing...</ic>

Several landskeepers from the neighbouring territories have come over the border to try and talk to the Mournwolders - to try to convince them that the incident with the winter and spring curses at the start of the year were an aberration and that those responsible have been punished. Copies of [[Empress Lisabetta]]'s address to the Empire were distributed.

Eventually they begin to put together a plan. [[Rivers of Life]] is a potent Spring ritual that could be used to help the Mourn. It's not going to bring back any of the dead of course, but it protects against [[Rivers Run Red]], it would give succour to people in the territory and to make them feel safer. Of course a few of the landskeepers realise such a decision might not suit the wishes of the Military Council, but the Empress has been emphatic about reducing casualties - this would be something the Empire could actually ''do'' to reduce the amount of killing in the Mournwold.

The Mournwolders have almost nothing - there are few magicians of any worth and little mana to perform the ritual. But they figure if they can convince the Conclave with some kind of declaration or something - then maybe they can get the Conclave to cast the ritual for them. It wouldn't solve the problem - but it would be a start. Half a plan!

And then word comes down that the Empire has lost the ability to perform powerful Spring rituals... which has largely stymied the plan. It is clear is that substantive actions taken to reduce the number of casualties on all sides would influence how those who live here view what is happening. But how that might be achieved is no longer clear.
<div style="float: right; width: 500px;">
<quote by="Marcher National Assembly, Spring Equinox 381YE, Martin Orchard, Upheld 46 - 0">
The monks and friars of the Marches condemn the lack of Vigilance shown in not facing the threats posed by cursing the Mourn. We condemn the lack of Loyalty shown to the 250,000 Marchers left there. The Urizen General has been rebuked by the Synod. The Warmage has lost his seat over this. Those responsible shall be held to account.</quote></div>

==Lore==
The Marcher National Assembly have taken actions to ensure that the people of the Mournwold are aware that as a result of thousands of Marcher citizens being killed with magical curses, the Urizen General has been rebuked and the Warmage has lost their seat. The statement is largely falling on deaf ears at the moment - but from all the dark talk about a wicker man, it is clear that little short of summary execution or voluntary immolation would mollify their anger. Still, a few people are able to at least make the case that the Empire has demonstrated a change of heart.

Unfortunately these advocates for the Empire are forced to eat their own words when news arrives that the [[Conclave]] has added [[Mountain Remembers Its Youth|another potent Spring curse]] to Imperial lore. It is hard to make a case that anyone regrets the use of Spring curses on the Mournwold when the Empire is busily adding yet more rituals of this kind to lore. And the timing is particularly unhelpful. In other nations magicians are studying the ritual and wondering how they might use it on their enemies... but the response of the few Mournwolders who can do magic is to study the ritual to see how they might best protect themselves against it.

People have queried if a ritual might be removed from Imperial lore before now. In theory there is no legal mechanism by which such a thing might be accomplish, but Harry Archer, an enterprising thresher from Mitwold has come up with an option. The [[Conclave]] can interdict a ritual text - and they can give instruction for the thing they interdict to be destroyed. This declaration is usually applied to an item - or a small class of items - but Harry points out that in theory the Conclave might choose to interdict every single known copy of a ritual text - giving orders for them to be destroyed. If that were done - then the effect would be identical to if the ritual had never been added to lore.

The thresher has spoken to the civil service and they have confirmed that while there is no fundamental constitutional bar to this approach, it is not consistent with the current law. While interdicted magic items or materials should be handed in promptly to the civil service this explicitly does not apply to interdicted rituals, which are simply illegal to perform. Magistrates advise that a change to the law would be required to create a new Conclave power to accomplish this. They argue that it would be appropriate to create a new power and they warn it would be expensive - they calculate it would cost 25 thrones per named ritual to seek out and destroy every copy of each of those ritual texts in the Empire. It has been impishly suggested that this power could be called a Declaration of Remorse.

It would be incredibly expensive to remove Rivers Run Red from Imperial Lore but it would be a clear step to demonstrate to the folk of the Mourn that the Empire regretted the decision to use that ritual. It would need to be done alongside removing Mountain Remembers its Youth though - leaving one or the other rituals in Imperial lore would achieve nothing. If these rituals are removed it would not prevent anyone who has mastered the ritual from continuing to cast it but it will no longer be available to learn without a [[Ritual_text#Ritual_Texts|ritual text.]]

<ic>"Look you dumb-ass farmer... we're here to ''free'' you!"

"Free us!" Jasper slammed his fist down on the table. "''Free'' us? You stuck up bloody town-boy! You've got some flaming cheek!"

Jenna rocked back in her seat at the fury in the old man's eyes, and the raw passion in his voice.

"You aren't here to ''free'' us. You're here to kill Jotun! That's all! It's not about us, it's about you - what ''you'' want. We're just another battleground. Our home is just a place where you can kill Jotun."

"That's not..." Jenna shot back but Jasper was not listening.

"Shut ya trap! I've listened to your sanctimonious drivel ''all night''! You ''cannot'' say you are here to free us from the yoke of the Jotun when ''you'' killed ''thousands'' of us. Thousands! And for what? So you could butcher as many orcs as possible. You spent a year telling us it were wrong to Hate the Jotun. You sent that poor Whittler sod to the Labyrinth for it ... and the entire time, the entire time, your only reason for being in the Mourn is because you want to kill the Jotun!"

Jasper hurled his mug against the wall where it shattered. Jenna felt her own wrath rising.

"You'd rather live as a slave then?"

"Seems to me we get to live as a slave whatever happens, all that's changed is that the Jotun never pretended we were anything else!"
</ic>

==Mithril==
Many Mournwolders feel betrayed by the Imperial Synod. After a year of criticising the people of Whittle for their hatred of the Jotun, culminating in the execution of one of their spiritual leaders, the Empire appears to have demonstrated that they despise the Jotun every bit as much as the Whittle folk. The accusation on many lips is that the Empire is not really here to give the Mourn back to the Mournwolders - they are just here to kill as many Jotun as possible.

At this stage, the Marcher assembly and the rest of the [[Synod]] is going to find it impossible to move the hearts and minds of the people of the Mournwold. Indeed, given the way [[liao]] works to amplify situations, creating auras across the Mourn is likely to make the situation ''worse''. Giving an angry population Courage, or making them Ambitious, or Proud... could end very badly. The Hierro clan demonstrated the risks in encouraging people to pursue virtue.

What would help is some concrete gesture that demonstrated that this war was being fought for the benefit of the Marcher people who live in the Mournwold. Something the Empire could do that would show these people that this was about freeing them - not killing Jotun. One way the Empire could do that is to allocate the [[Mournwold#The_Singing_Caves|Singing Caves]], the mithril Bourse resource located on the Greensward near Overton, as a national seat rather than an Imperial one. Having one of their own in charge of the mine, rather than have some over-dressed League Prince (everyone seems to agree that the League will own it) would blunt the accusation that this war was only ever about killing the Jotun.

The Senate recently voted to allocate the seat to the Marchers - but the decision was vetoed by The Throne. If the mine is brought back under Imperial control that decision will need to be made ''again''. The Empress has been crystal clear that the Prosperity of the Empire depends on resources like the Singing Caves being Imperial. It remains to be seen if she prefers to go down in history as a prudent ruler in the tradition of Empress Mariika or a benevolent leader like Emperor Frederick.

==Land==
Land matters above all else to Marchers. They defend what they have to the death - and they expect other Marchers to do the same. The Marcher generals understood that; General Will Talbot of the Drakes understood that. If Imperial strategy in the Mourn had been spearheaded by Marcher generals leading Marcher armies things might have been different. But the folk of the Mournwold watched in disgust over winter as countless Imperial armies gave ground before the Jotun advance. And to prove their point that no true Marcher would have done that... when everyone else was falling back... the Drakes were given orders to hold their ground, to fight for every inch of land. In the view of many here that's not just how Marchers should fight - that's how ''everyone'' should fight.

Of course those who study strategy can well understand the value of giving ground. Falling back at the right time can be essential to save an army or to win a campaign in the long run. But the people of the Mournwold don't see it like that - and extolling the virtue of the strategic value of a well-organized retreat just annoys them all the more. If you're not fighting for your land... what in Virtue's name are you fighting for?

Recent actions have led many in the Mourn to question what the Empire is fighting for. So Friar Agnes has proposed a way that the Marchers might show some solidarity with the people of the Mourn and by doing so they can show the Empire what they are fighting for. Having heard that General Talbot was interested in ways to win hearts and minds she has sent a message to his office with a proposal for a mandate that the Marcher National Assembly could pass.

<quote by="Synod Mandate">Land matters above all else. Marcher armies should always stand their ground to defend what is theirs. We send X with 25 doses of liao to spread the word that no Marcher army should ''ever'' give ground.</quote>

The Marchers are naturally inclined to such a mindset, so it would not take much to convince them of the wisdom of this approach - and once it was agreed there would be no going back. If this mandate were enacted, it would become impossible for any Marcher general to issue the order to give ground to their army.

Such an action would not solve all the problems in the Mourn. It wouldn't do anything for the Empire's standing here - but it would improve the standing of the Marcher nation in the eyes of the inhabitants of the Mourn. It would demonstrate that the people of Upwold, Mitwold, and Bregasland shared their passion to defend their lands. It would help them view other Marchers as just like them, rather than lumping them in with the rest of the Empire which is what is happening at the moment.

Of course there is a way that the Empire could demonstrate that they shared the concerns of the Mournwold people. The General Assembly could pass a version of the mandate for all Imperial armies. That would require ten times the amount of liao - this change of strategy would be a hard sell in many lands. But giving up the ability for any Imperial army to give ground would prove to the people of the Mournwold that the Empire is here fighting for their land.

==Neighbours==
<ic>Gwen stood in the doorway, her arms folded, her face set. Her voice was calm, but Jim could hear her patience fraying with every exchange.

"It's just a warning, we're here to look after you." said the schlacta on the doorstep.

"Thank you for your warning." Gwen's voice was frosty enough to wither grass.

He hoped she'd keep her temper under control. He was under no illusion how easily the soldiers could kill her, him, and all three children. Burn the house and the field, Salt the ground. Put their bodies on ... he took a deep shaky breath. He hugged little Beth, her face pale and her eyes brimming with tears. She was being braver than he was. He forced a smile, held her close, whispered how well she was doing. Hugged her tighter.

"We know they're around and they're likely to be desperate. If you see them, let us know. We'll make sure you're safe."

"I will certainly bear that in mind," Gwen's voice was level, but Jim could see her shoulders vibrating with tension. He knew her well enough to know that she was fighting the urge to give the Varushkan captain a piece of her mind. Or show her the back of her hand...

"If that's everything, I have work to be getting on with. Don't let me keep you."

The soldier showed no sign of moving. She took off her oddly shaped helmet, held it in the crook of her arm, wiped the sweat from her scarred face with one thick hand. She was older than he had expected, her long braided hair steel grey.

"Look. These vermin are dangerous. Crafty. You and your family could be in danger. Don't let the stories fool you, they'll fight like cornered rats if their backs are to the wall."

Gwen took a deep, sharp breath in through her nose. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, her words precise.

"We have lived with them for the best part of thirty years - we know ''exactly'' what they are like thank you." She picked her words carefully. "Now, shall I get you all an oatcake and a mug of milk? For the road?"

At her words, Jim stopped breathing, his heart pounding. He was proud of his wife's courage, but deathly afraid she might have overstepped the mark. Everything teetered on a knife edge.

The Varushkan captain pressed her lips together tightly and spun on her heel, jamming her helmet back into place. Without another word she strode across the yard, collecting the four soldiers lounging at the gate.

Gwen shut the door, and leant her forehead against it for a moment. Then she moved to the window to watch, making sure the soldiers have left. Once it was clear they were not coming back, she pulled back the homespun rug on the kitchen floor, and lifted the wooden trapdoor beneath. She glared down into the root cellar. A half dozen frightened faces stared back up at her.

"They've gone for now, but they won't go far." she said quietly. "You'll not make it a field's length before they catch you. You're going to have to stay here at least another night, maybe two. So settle in, and keep quiet or paragons preserve me I'll stick you on spikes myself!"

None of the huddled orcs said anything. Hjordgar just nodded his head twice to show he understood. Gwen let the trapdoor drop again.

Jim picked Beth up, caught his wife in a tight hug. Beth began to cry silently. Gwen kissed her on the brow. They clung together, not speaking, listening to the column of soldiers outside marching south-west toward the Whatmore place.</ic>

The Jotun forced those who served them to toil hard regardless of species. For three decades, those Marchers who were forced to become thralls have worked alongside the orc thralls that the invaders brought with them. They are not friends, by any stretch, what they are, however, is ''neighbours''. In some places that bond has grown surprisingly strong. Some of these people have more in common, more shared experience of hard work in fields and mines, than they do with the people across the border in Tassato, or Kahraman.

Some of these thralls have fled the Mourn, but most have been trapped, desperately trying to avoid the clashes between the armies. Now that the Empire is on the advance, the Marcher inhabitants are able to return to their farms and look after themselves - but the orc thralls have no lands to go back to and with Imperial armies on the rampage things are becoming increasingly dangerous for them. Their supplies are running low - and winter is coming.

Of all the problems in the Mourn, this is the only one that can be solved by throwing money at it. But it would take a ''lot'' of money... it would need 75 thrones a season to provide enough food to feed the orc thralls until a permanent solution can be found. Doing so would not remove the current antagonism in the Mourn, but it would demonstrate that the Empire was absolutely serious about ensuring that the Jotun thralls were not to be harmed by the war. And that would help improve the standing of the Empire with those Marchers who have worked side by side with the thralls for so long.

<quote by="Empress Varkula, Letter to Karsk Senator">People don't do the right thing because they care about others. That is the lie we tell ourselves. The truth is that we do these things to feel better about ourselves. To tell ourselves that we are not monsters. It is only people like us, people who ''know'' that they are monsters, who don't have to bother with the games of children. The greatest strength I have is to know myself.</quote>

==Iron==
The situation in the Mournwold is dire - nobody can deny that the territory is dry field awaiting a flame. While there are fifty thousand Imperial troops driving the Jotun before them, nobody is going to take up arms. There will be plenty of shouting and bawling and whining about the price, but people will put up and shut up. But once those armies are sent elsewhere, it is anybody's guess what will happen. Thus many folk are focussed on what can be done to resolve the problem. Some way to soothe angry tempers, to calm frayed nerves, some magic spell to make everyone be happy again. Only a few have had the Courage to point out that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

It's nothing to do with "cruelty" - it's to do with laying down the law. Everyone wants to believe that this war is about freeing the Mournwold, but there is another way to look at it. The Jotun control this land - now the Empire is coming with sword and shield to conquer it. They have done it before - how do people think Holberg ended up part of the Empire? They might have chosen to "join" the League, but they weren't interested in joining anything until the Dawnish armies conquered every piece of land they could see from their mountaintop. Once the writing on the wall was plain for them to see - they found loyalty and joined up.

It's not going to be pleasant - a lot of Marchers are pretty pig-headed. You put a spear to their belly and tell them to decide whether they're for the Empire or the Jotun and ''some'' of them are going to be dumb enough to choose a quick trip back to the Labyrinth. But the grim truth is that if the Empire comes in and forces these people to decide where their loyalty lies then plenty of them are going to see which way the wind is blowing. And the ones that don't... the ones that end up dead? Those are the ones that were going to be trouble anyway... The bitter truth that nobody will want to accept is that you can either have this trouble now... when you have fifty thousand Imperial boots on the ground... or you can have it in two years time when the territory is empty, the Jotun are massing and the armies are engaged elsewhere.

Sure, laying down the law will leave a bitter taste that may never wash out. These people are going to be hostile and angry for years to come. But they will do what they are told, they will get their freedom whether they want it or not, the Jotun will be driven out - and the Empire will have the Mourn back. They will have to build some fortifications to make sure nobody rebels... but that's it. If the Empire wants these people to love them... then they're going to have wipe their tears for them. But they don't have to do that. The people in the Mourn are already angry, the Empire might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb as the Marchers say. If the Empire is prepared to settle for obedience then there is a ''much'' more effective way to get the job done...

To accomplish this the [[Senate]] could pass legislation authorising Imperial armies to lay down the law in the Mournwold. An example of a suitable wording to accomplish this might be:

<ic> Armies in the Mournwold are sanctioned to take any measures necessary this season to ensure that all resistance in this territory is crushed. All those who choose to violently resist should expect no quarter, neither will they be given redress under the law. </ic>

The current opinion of the constitutional court is that a motion drafted in such terms would have constitutional implications and require ratification by The Throne.

If this law is passed by the senate any Imperial general whose army is in the Mournwold this season may choose to issue the order to Lay Down the Law.

<box>'''Lay Down the Law'''<br>
* '''All casualties inflicted by this army are increased by a tenth.'''
* '''The ability of this army to conquer territory is decreased by a tenth.'''
* '''The army will ruthlessly suppress any dissent in the conquered territory.'''

As the army pushes the enemy back, they will root out any who are not loyal to the Empire. They will ruthlessly suppress dissent, executing any who will not acknowledge that they have been defeated. The conquered people will be hostile for ''years'' - the memory of this experience will not soon fade - but fear of the consequences will prevent any act of open rebellion within the next ten years.</box>

If five or more Imperial armies follow this order, then any simmering rebellion in the Mourn will be ended before it can begin. If less than five armies submit this order, then only the regions that those specific armies capture will be conquered and forced to yield. If any Imperial general issues one of these orders then all other options presented here will fail.

==Participation==
If you are playing a character who is from the Mourn, or has family there, then as a PC you are absolutely free to choose your own view of the current conflict that is raging there. Your character should know people who died from the curses enacted over Winter, and if you have been there recently then you should be aware of the anger and resentment that is widespread. But there are Mournwolders on all sides of the arguments - so your character's position is perfectly valid whatever it is.

==Resolution==
During the Summer Solstice, the Marcher assembly successfully raised [[All_along_the_watchtower#Land|the mandate that Marcher armies would never give ground again]]. Mel of Mourn took liao to spread news of this mandate to the armies and people of the Marches. As a consequence, no Marcher army can ever again take the [[Army_orders#Give_Ground|give ground]] order.

The price of wisdom

2026-08-01T11:26:08Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:383YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"I would not have expected you to be involved in that sword scholar nonsense, Hayna." Pyot stood in the doorway with his arms folded, a severe expression on his face. The woman he was speaking to refused to look up, intent as she was on fixing the tear in the apron. She pushed her needle through the garment and smiled slightly to herself before replying.

"I don't think I've ever actually met a sword scholar." She paused for a moment as it to contemplate the idea and then continued. "I doubt I ever will, really."

"So why give Yarvi such a hard-time? He looked like he'd been mauled by a wolf by the time you finished."

"The wise test what they know, Pyot." She spoke mildly but there was granite beneath her words. "Like a squirrel looking for nuts hidden under the snow. You have to find the right question."

"You made him look a fool Hayna. Why do you do that? He said the Synod sent him... Is there going to be trouble?" The people of the vale knew better than to argue with silver-tongued Hayna, but Pyot was worried. She was a wise one, even if she wasn't that old. But she'd embarrassed the beloved old story-teller in the taproom of his inn, and he felt he had a right to know why.

Hayna put her needlework down and looked up at him. She considered an apology; she knew he and the storyteller were friends, and she'd made Yarvi stammer in front of people who looked up to him. But she realized she didn't feel the slightest bit sorry, so she gave him a firm look instead.

"Test what you've learned Pyot. Only fools accept hearsay as truth. That's what the Way teaches. What it doesn't teach is test what you've learned... unless someone important says otherwise. What it doesn't say is - you have to find the right question, unless the Synod sent them, in which case just let it go."

He took a deep breath, ready to ask another question, but Hayna's look turned frosty and she held up a finger. "No Pyot. I'm not arguing right now. I need to finish this stitching before the candle burns down. If you still have questions... well that's very good. Everyone should be a bulging sack of questions. But you can come back in the morning, and we'll talk about it properly. But make sure they're better questions than the ones you've offered up so far. Give some thought to what it is you're ''actually'' asking me, or we're not going to get very far."

It looked for a moment as if Pyot might continue to argue, but she kept her gaze steady, and after an awkward moment or two, he nodded his head once, muttered a good night, and closed the door. Hayna spent a minute or two staring at the door, lost in thought, before remembering that the candle was burning away while she pondered. Mocking herself with a half-smile and a shake of the head, she turned back to her sewing.
</ic>
{{Audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpazBiMjEik}}
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><box>The influence of the Wisdom Assembly should mean that all these mandates need to be upheld with a greater majority to be enacted. However, thanks to the [[383YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_3|spiritual pilgrimage]] called for during the Autumn Equinox, for ''this season only'', mandates only need a simple majority to be enacted.</box></div>
==Overview==
* '''Due to the actions of the Wisdom Assembly and the Urizen National Assembly, Synod mandates require greater majorities before they can be enacted successfully.'''
* '''After the Autumn Equinox, several mandates that had been upheld failed to be enacted.'''
* '''You can learn a bit more about the background to this situation in the [[#Further Reading|further reading]] section below.'''
One of the key powers of the [[Synod]] is the ability to enact [[mandate|mandates]]. Arising from statements of principle, a mandate allows the Synod to influence the hearts and minds of the virtuous, and thus guide the Empire. After the Autumn Equinox, several [[mandate|mandates]] from the [[Synod]] that were enacted, still failed to find purchase in the hearts and souls of Imperial citizens. The priests charged with enacting them were stymied at every turn by the virtuous themselves, querying the wisdom of their mandate and challenging them to complex debates. The named priests and their supporters did nothing wrong - but they could not move the virtuous while dealing with these challenges.

The General Assembly has laid the blame for this state of affairs squarely at the doors of the [[sword scholar|sword scholars]]. While it is true that the heirs of Sulemaine are enthusiastically questioning the legitimacy of the Synod's mandates, their influence is largely confined to Urizen. Everywhere else, the questioning is coming from another quarter. It is the Wisdom Assembly that sent Galene Netherwatch to encourage the virtuous to question what they were told. The sword scholars helped to block the Synod's wishes in Urizen, but it is the Wisdom Assembly that is responsible for the wider failure of the Autumn mandates throughout the Empire.
__TOC__
If the status quo is maintained, nothing will change. All Synod mandates will require a greater majority before they are enacted. Any that do not achieve a greater majority will simply fail. No liao will be lost; no impact will be felt. Mandates are a transitory thing; there is almost invariably only one chance to enact them. If they fail due to the opposition of the followers of Wisdom, then the opportunity is gone.

==The General Assembly==
* '''The sword scholars bear the brunt of the Synod's ire, but it was a mandate by the Wisdom Assembly that provoked the challenges to the Imperial Synod.'''
* '''To resolve the current situation the General Assembly could condemn Sulemaine i Taziel, overrule the Wisdom Assembly, or both'''
At the moment, no Synod mandate will be enacted unless it is upheld with a [[greater majority]]. While the sword scholars are invoked as being the cause, their influence outside of Urizen is small. The words of the Wisdom Assembly, by comparison move people across the entire Empire. Both those devoted specifically to Wisdom, and those pilgrims dedicated to the Way, are actively challenging priests who attempt to spread word of mandates that do not provably have the backing of their assembly.

To change the situation, the General Assembly would need to identify whether it is the inspiration of Sulemaine, or the call-to-arms of the Wisdom Assembly, that is at the root of the problem.
===Ruthless, Indiscriminate, Murderous===
* '''The General Assembly could enact a mandate that condemns Sulemaine i Taziel and her teachings.'''
* '''If enacted, this would resolve the current situation outside Urizen but have serious implications for Urizen and the General Assembly itself.'''
Rafael Barossa du Tassato's description of the founder of the sword scholars leaves little to the imagination. He described her as someone who "''taught them to browbeat, silence, and murder any who raised a dissenting voice''" and who "''would rather strike down a soul seeking the right question than face an unwelcome truth''". He urged the virtuous "''stand against such narrow minded and dogmatic behaviour''". By supporting this statement with a greater majority, it certainly seems as if the General Assembly of the Synod considers the first sword scholar to lack virtue, and that those who look to her for inspiration are wrong to do so.

The General Assembly could take a deep breath, agree with Rafael Barossa di Tassato and condemn Sulemaine as a false paragon, denounce her teachings, and by extension those who follow them. A mandate could be enacted that declares veneration of her "''narrow minded and dogmatic''" ways to be unvirtuous and dangerous.

{{Mandate|mandate=The actions of Sulemaine i Taziel embody neither Wisdom nor virtue. We condemn her as a false inspiration - her legacy and her words blind pilgrims to the Way. We must reject her narrow minded and dogmatic behaviour, and disavow this lawless sect whose philosophy promotes silence, shame, and inaction. We send [named priest] with 200 doses of liao to urge citizens to put aside all actions inspired by this murderer.|assembly=General Assembly}}

This would end the current situation across most of the Empire. Mandates would no longer require a greater majority to be upheld. The Wisdom Assembly urged their followers to look to Sulemaine for inspiration, so passing this mandate would remove their interference with the Synod's mandates at a stroke. Once completed, there would be no further questioning of mandates anywhere ''except'' Urizen.

The mandate would ''not'' restore the original status quo in Urizen. This is because the nation's assembly recently embraced Sulemaine in the strongest possible terms calling her the ''"Paragon of Blades"'' and describing her as the ''"perfect epitome of the Urizeni spirit"''. As a result, their influence in Urizen is now sufficiently strong that it is exceeds the ability of the General Assembly to denounce them effectively. The mandate does however have far reaching implications for the sword scholars of Urizen and while it does not by itself declare them to be heretics or blasphemers it paves the way for the Synod to take that final step.

Unfortunately the mandate would have deep implications for the General Assembly itself because it would flatly contradict their own judgement when they agreed with Aspar [[383YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements|a season earlier]]. [[383YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_73|They said]] that "''Although the Synod has not accepted that Sulemaine meets the criteria to be judged a paragon, it is clear that she taught and practised widely on the virtue of Wisdom. As such she cannot be regarded as a false paragon.''"

If the General Assembly now reverses its position on Sulemaine, this will raise concerns across the Empire as it begs the obvious question of what other recent judgements might be similarly reversed. A number of important mandates were enacted during the Summer Solstice, at the same time as the General Assembly explicitly declared that Sulemaine was '''not''' a false paragon. If so soon afterwards they are now saying the exact opposite then citizens across the Empire will wonder what will be next? Will Dead Reckoning be declared blasphemous? Will the people of Wintermark be condemned for drawing inspiration from the heroic actions of their forebears?

The result of this doubt would be that ''any'' future statement of principle upheld by the General Assembly that could be seen to reverse one of the seven other statements given in response to the Grey Pilgrims would have a dramatic impact. Even if it only receives a simple majority of support, it would bring all the questions raised by the Grey Pilgrims back with a vengeance, and could trigger a crisis of faith in the General Assembly.

===The Definition of Folly===
* '''The General Assembly could enact a mandate that explicitly overturns the judgement of the Wisdom Assembly.'''
* '''If enacted, this would resolve the current situation outside Urizen but raise further questions about the relationship between the General Assembly and the virtue assemblies.'''
Clarice Novarion, speaking on behalf of the Assembly of the Nine and using more measured language than Rafael Barossa stated that ''"Debate is necessary and laudable, but obstructing the Synod's capacity to act and guide our citizens on the Way is not."'' Although she referred to the sword scholars, what many people have read into her judgement was that anyone who wishes ''"to improve and influence the quality of Imperial thinking"'' should do so ''"by participating in the business and processes of the Imperial Synod, not by obstructing its ability to act."''

What has obstructed the Synod's ability act across the Empire is the decision by the Wisdom Assembly to urge the virtuous to question every mandate upheld by the Imperial Synod. They passed a mandate calling on all the virtuous to test what they learn and to "''despise folly and chastise the fool that spreads it, especially when it is done by those close to you''." The alternative to condemning Sulemaine i Taziel would be to rebuke the Wisdom Assembly for this judgement. If the General Assembly "overrule" the Wisdom Assembly then that stop the virtuous obstructing the Synod.

{{Mandate|mandate=The priests of the Assembly of Wisdom were wrong to tell citizens to question every mandate the Synod passes. While it is virtuous to despise folly, Wisdom knows that all knowledge is incomplete. By urging the virtuous to oppose the mandates of the Synod, the Wisdom Assembly has overstepped its authority. Debate and discussion are tools of the Wise, but they must not be wielded to impede the Synod in its duties. We send {named priest} with 200 doses of liao to remind the Wise that they are part of the Empire, not above it.|assembly=General Assembly}}

If enacted, this mandate would end the current situation across most of the Empire. Mandates would no longer require a greater majority to be upheld. The Wisdom Assembly urged their followers to question the Synod's judgement but the General Assembly can put a stop to that by publicly overruling them in this way. Once completed, there would be no further questioning of mandates anywhere ''except'' Urizen.

The mandate would ''not'' restore the original status quo in Urizen since it does not directly address the sword scholars. Given the conviction with which the Urizen Assembly have repeatedly embraced Sulemaine and her followers, it is has become harder for statements of principle passed by the Assembly of the Nine or the General Assembly to affect Urizen.

However the mandate leaves no doubt that the General Assembly have overruled the judgement of the Wisdom Assembly. By doing this, the General Assembly are demonstrating that they have the authority and inclination to overrule any judgement of a virtue assembly that they disagree with. That raises serious questions about the role of the virtue assemblies in the Empire. Directly confronting the Wisdom Assembly in this way begs the question: ''should anyone listen to the virtue assemblies?''

While the General Assembly has clashed with virtue or national assemblies in the past, there has not been such a direct confrontation in living memory. If this mandate were enacted then for the next year at least, any [[statement of principle]] in ''any'' virtue assembly will not create a mandate that that virtue assembly can enact. It may lead to a mandate as normal, but if that happens, the mandate would have to be passed by the General Assembly. The virtue assemblies would no longer receive opportunities to enact their own mandates themselves.

===No Single Cause===
Alternatively, the General Assembly could both condemn Sulemaine and overrule the Wisdom Assembly. The Wise accept that a situation can have many causes, after all.

{{Mandate|mandate=The actions of Sulemaine embody neither Wisdom nor virtue and priests of the Assembly of Wisdom were wrong to tell citizens to be inspired by her. We condemn Sulemaine i Taziel as a false inspiration and reject her narrow minded and dogmatic behaviour. We will not allow the virtuous to be cowed into silence, shame, and inaction. We send {named priest} with 200 doses of liao to urge people to put aside all actions inspired by this murderer, and remind the wise that they are part of the Empire, not above it.|assembly=General Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, it has ''all'' the effects of both previous mandates.

===Competing Mandates: General===
These General Assembly mandates are [[Mandate#Competing_Mandates|competing]]. In each case, however, the mandates of ''other'' assemblies would need to be taken into account. The civil service assessment of what will happen is based on the assumption that the General Assembly position is not challenged in the Wisdom or Urizen assemblies (at the very least). If that is not the case, then the situation will almost certainly become much more complicated.

==The Wisdom Assembly==
* '''The Wisdom Assembly motivated the virtuous across the Empire to question the mandates of the Imperial Synod'''

The Wisdom Assembly urged the virtuous across the Empire to question the Synod's mandates with a mandate raised by Amnis Johan Menkovich that was enacted by Galene Netherwatch. Since it is the followers of the Wisdom who are responsible for the wider situation, their Assembly is in a better position to address the matter than any other.

===To Chastise Folly===
* '''The Wisdom assembly could recant its previous position.'''
* '''Doing so ends the opposition to mandates in the wider Empire, but severely damages the credibility of the assembly and does nothing to change the situation in Urizen.'''

The Assembly did not pass judgement on this matter at the recent summit, but the Assembly of Nine did issue a statement of principle implicitly criticising this decision. This judgement passed unanimously with no abstentions, so it must have gained the support of the Cardinal of Wisdom. If the Assembly of Wisdom wished they could follow the leadership of their cardinal, publicly recant their earlier mandate, and ask their followers to embrace the position advocated by the Council of Nine.

{{Mandate|mandate=The Wise know all knowledge is incomplete, but the virtuous apply what they have learned. Questioning the decisions of the Synod is virtuous, but a mandate represents the settled will of the Assembly and should not be interfered with. We send {named priest} with 200 liao to urge everyone who wishes to influence the quality of Imperial thinking let them do so by participating in the business and processes of the Imperial Synod, not by obstructing its ability to act.|assembly=Wisdom Assembly}}

If enacted, this mandate would end the current situation across most of the Empire. Mandates would no longer require a greater majority to be upheld. Only the situation in Urizen would be unchanged; mandates would only affect Urizen if they received a greater majority.

Unfortunately, the mandate cannot help but undermine the authority of the Wisdom Assembly, as people question their judgement. For the next year, every [[congregation]] led by a priest [[dedication|dedicated]] to Wisdom will lose 2 [[liao]] and 4 Synod votes as their congregants look elsewhere for inspiration. Any statement of principle that the Wisdom Assembly passed with which they achieve a greater majority will not create a mandate that the assembly can enact. It may lead to a mandate as normal, but if that happens, the mandate would have to be passed by the General Assembly. For the next year, the Wisdom assembly would no longer receive opportunities to enact their own mandates themselves.

While this mandate is listed as requiring 200 doses of liao, if it is enacted with Galene Netherwatch as the named priest - the same priest responsible for enacting the original mandate - it will require only 150 liao.

===To Test What You Learn ===
* '''The Wisdom Assembly could restate their current position reaffirming the importance that people test what they have learned'''
* '''This mandate would prevent a condemnation of Sulemaine i Taziel from resolving the current situation'''
When the Wisdom Assembly passed a mandate encouraging their followers to challenge all Imperial Synod mandates, they started by saying ''"The example of the sword scholars of Urizen should inspire all those who follow the path of Wisdom."'' Now Rafael Barossa di Tassato has condemned Sulemaine in visceral terms and concluded by stating "''Above all, we should not let the will of the Synod be stymied by followers of a lawless sect whose philosophy promotes silence, shame, and inaction''". It is clear that Rafael Barossa has little fondness for Sulemaine, but it isn't clear that the people who are challenging the Synod's mandates are followers of a lawless sect.

Martiala, a sword scholar of the Temple of the Last Breath is at pains to point out that none of the modern day sword scholars imitate Sulemaine's methods. She and her fellow adherents of Wisdom are not browbeating anyone, they're not shaming anyone, and they are most certainly not murdering anyone. All they are doing is to follow the tenets of Wisdom and seeking to test what you learn, by demanding answers of those who attempt to carry out the Synod's business.

Martiala asserts that the problem here is not the actions of a woman who has been dead for over three centuries, but the simple fact that the Synod does not like to have its authority challenged. Mandates are powerful, they move hearts and minds across the Empire. Isn't it right that such a weighty responsibility is employed only when it is clear that the greater majority of an Assembly have judged in favour of it? The Wisdom Assembly have not prevented the Synod's ability to lead, they have simply restricted it to those circumstances where it is clear that the greater majority of priests in an Assembly are agreed on the right course of action. The alternative, she points out, is that a mandate might be enacted if a single priest voted in favour of it - does that seem wise?

She has proposed that the Wisdom Assembly pass a mandate that makes clear that the virtue of their current position is not predicated on the legacy of Sulemaine i Taziel.

{{Mandate|mandate=Wisdom teaches that you should test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth. The approach of the Wisdom Assembly is virtuous and wise, irrespective of the history of Sulemaine i Taziel. A mandate is a sword that pierces the flesh of the Empire; it must not strike if the wielder lacks surety. We send {named priest} with 100 liao to thank every follower of Wisdom who opposes any Synod mandate that does not achieve a greater majority and urge them to continue on this virtuous path.|assembly=Wisdom Assembly}}

if this mandate were enacted, it would strengthen the resolve of the virtuous to question Synod mandates, they would continue to require a greater majority to be effective for the foreseeable future. By refocussing their efforts explicitly on those mandates that failed to get a greater majority, it would make their task easier, allowing them to persevere indefinitely.

In addition, because this mandate makes a case for opposing Synod mandates that do not have a greater majority on grounds of Wisdom, not on the grounds of being inspired by Sulemaine i Taziel, then any action taken to condemn Sulemaine would no longer have an effect on the actions the Wisdom Assembly are taking.

===Competing Mandates: Wisdom===
Obviously, these two mandates are [[Mandate#Competing_Mandates|in competition]] with each other

The second mandate, the one proposed by Martiala that emphasises that the current actions of the Wisdom Assembly are virtuous irrespective of the status of Sulemaine i Taziel is ''not'' in competition with the General Assembly mandate condemning Sulemaine i Taziel. However, if both are passed, then Martiala's judgement will subvert the General Assembly mandate, such that it will no longer end the current situation across most of the Empire. Mandates will continue to require a greater majority to be upheld. Furthermore no Statement of Principle that criticises Sulemaine will give rise to a mandate that would remove the need for a greater majority.

The second mandate is in competition with the General Assembly mandate that declares that ''"The priests of the Assembly of Wisdom were wrong to tell citizens to question every mandate the Synod passes."'' and with the mandate that condemns the sword scholars and rebukes the Assembly of Wisdom. If any of these mandates are passed, only the mandate with the greatest margin of votes in favour will be effective.

==The Opposing Assemblies==
'''Brother Martin Orchard''' has proposed a mandate for the [[Vigilance]] Assembly to consider:

{{Mandate|mandate=Virtue lies in action, not passivity. The path of Vigilance calls us to warn our neighbours of danger, and to pay heed to such warnings. The Synod is the moral sentry of the Empire, and mandates are its hue and cry. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to inspire Vigilant citizens to take action when a mandate calls for their aid.|assembly=Vigilance Assembly}}

A similar proposal has been submitted by '''Clarice Novarion''' for a mandate for the [[Courage]] Assembly to consider:

{{Mandate|mandate=Courage does not cavil endlessly to no purpose; Courage acts. The Virtuous assess the knowledge available to them, and then they act upon it - questioning is laudable, but questioning without action is mere quibbling. Citizens who mean to act upon their opinions of the Synod can do so at Anvil and through their congregations. Their pursuit of Virtue must not be impeded by those who choose to bicker but not act.

We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to inspire Courageous pilgrims to cast off this pall of idle argument and take action when a mandate calls for their aid.|assembly=Courage Assembly}}

An equivalent proposal has been submitted by '''Jenny Arbor''' for a mandate for the [[Pride]] Assembly to consider:

{{Mandate|mandate=Pride is a Virtue of Emotion, not cold logic. How can we inspire others without our burning passions and unyielding convictions? Both the Wisdom and Urizen Assemblies seek to use cold logic to attempt to silence opinions they do not value. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to call upon all devotees of Pride to oppose these actions whenever possible, in accordance with the teachings of Pride.|assembly=Pride Assembly}}

And a final mandate proffered by '''Tom Keeper''' for judgement by the [[Loyalty]] Assembly:

{{Mandate|mandate=The constitutional place to challenge a mandate is in a synod vote, we send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to call those loyal to the constitution and Synod to do what is needed to stop those that would interfere with the synod powers by blocking successfully passed mandates, the wise aren't the only ones that know how to use a sword when needed.|assembly=Loyalty Assembly}}

If any of these mandates are enacted, then followers of Courage, Loyalty, Pride, or Vigilance respectively will be alerted to the problems being caused by the Wisdom Assembly, the Sword Scholars, and potentially other assemblies. They would be ready to oppose that interference following the lead of the Assembly.

As a result the Cardinal of the assembly could submit a mandate using 25 doses of liao in support of another mandate. The judgement would need to use the exact wording of the mandate that they want priests to support, but end with the phrase "We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to inspire Vigilant/Courageous/Loyal/Proud citizens to prevent interference with this mandate." rather than the equivalent line.

If either mandate is passed by the relevant assembly with a greater majority then the original mandate would take full effect even if it only obtained a lesser majority, due to followers of that assembly openly opposing anyone who challenged it. That opposition would be verbal... at least initially.

==The Other Virtue Assemblies==
* '''Able the Taller has proposed a mandate for consideration of the Loyalty Assembly'''
* '''Bartimaeus has proposed a mandate for consideration of the Prosperity Assembly'''
* '''These mandate would motivate the Assemblies to add their voice to those questioning the mandates of the Imperial Synod'''

'''Able the Taller''' of the Shattered Tower has proposed a mandate for the Loyalty Assembly to consider.

{{Mandate|mandate=Loyalty must stem from personal conviction and not be presumed or coerced. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of Liao to urge all followers of Loyalty to consider carefully their own devotion and only support the Mandates of the Synod if they can do so wholeheartedly|assembly=Loyalty Assembly}}

If this mandate were endorsed, it would cause all Loyal citizens of the Empire to question Synod mandates, to consider their own feelings and to only support those mandates that they felt were inline with their personal convictions. This would mean yet more citizens questioning Synod mandates, compounding the existing opposition from the sword scholars of Urizen and the Wisdom Assembly. This would mean that the current situation (mandates need a greater majority) would continue indefinitely unless the Synod found a way to overcome the opposition from members of the Wisdom Assembly ''and'' members of the Loyalty Assembly.

'''Bartimaeus''' has proposed a mandate for the Prosperity Assembly to consider.

{{Mandate|mandate=A Prosperous person strives and toils on that which matters to them. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of Liao to inspire all followers of Prosperity to question mandates put to them, to ensure their labour is put to the most Prosperous possible use.|assembly=Prosperity Assembly}}

If this mandate were endorsed, it would cause all Prosperous citizens of the Empire to question Synod mandates, to question every mandate and to support only those that they felt were the best use for their labour. This would mean yet more citizens questioning Synod mandates, compounding the existing opposition from the sword scholars of Urizen and the Wisdom Assembly. This would mean that the current situation (mandates need a greater majority) would continue indefinitely unless the Synod found a way to overcome the opposition from members of the Wisdom Assembly ''and'' members of the Prosperity Assembly.

If the General Assembly enacted the mandates described in either [[The_price_of_wisdom#The_Definition_of_Folly|Definition of Folly]] or [[The_price_of_wisdom#No_Single_Cause|No Single Cause]], they would supersede this mandate. Both are sufficiently critical of the idea of the virtue assemblies encouraging people to question the Imperial Synod. The virtue assemblies might still wish to spend the liao enacting this mandate, as a matter of principle, but all that would happen in this case is it would make it even clearer that the General Assembly was claiming supremacy over them.

==The Urizen Assembly==
* '''The Urizen Assembly have declared that Sulemaine is the perfect embodiment of the Urizen ideal'''
* '''They also said that all sword scholars should act within Imperial law'''
* '''There is an opportunity to pass a mandate to make clear that modern sword scholars follow Sulemaine, they don't copy her'''

The Urizen National Assembly have not shied away from publicly endorsing Sulemaine, authorising Aurum of the Nightingale Temple to use 50 liao to encourage ''"every Urizeni to embrace her teachings"''. However, while it cannot be denied that Sulemaine was a deeply controversial figure who attacked and murdered dozens of Highborn missionaries as she sought to oppose them spreading the Way through Urizen, there is little sign that any modern sword scholar is interested in reprising this approach.
===The Urizeni Spirit===
During the Autumn Equinox Clytemnestra of the House of the Wanderer, submitted a statement of principle to the Urizen Assembly encouraging "''all sword scholars to act within Imperial law in the prosecution of their virtuous challenges. With our increased responsibilities comes increased obligation to virtue.''" As a result, Urizen could choose to draw a firm line under the controversial past of the sword scholars. It could make clear that while the modern sword scholars are inspired by Sulemaine's unwavering resistance to the Highborn missionaries, but they no longer see the Empire or the Way as inimical to the pursuit of virtue in Urizen. The sword scholars might be diametrically opposed to the authority of the Imperial Synod, but they intend to pursue that opposition only in ways that are legal.

{{Mandate|mandate=The teachings of Sulemaine i Taziel are timeless and we seek inspiration from them. But the Paragon of Blades lived and died three centuries ago and her enemies are not our enemies. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to underline that every Urizeni citizen should explore the teachings of virtue with civil debate between fellow citizens and reserve armed conflict for Urizen's enemies.|assembly=Urizen Assembly}}

If this mandate were enacted, it would mean that no statement of principle that was about Sulemaine i Taziel would lead to a mandate for the next year at least. The situation in Urizen, where the sword scholars oppose any influence from Synod would remain, but the matter of Sulemaine would cease to arouse controversy for the immediate future.

===Questions and Answers===
There are several alternative mandates that the Urizen Assembly could consider. They could seek to renounce their earlier position, encouraging Urizeni citizens to challenge the Synod's mandates. That would have major implications for the credibility of the Assembly given how strongly they have embraced the Paragon of Blades, but it could reduce the opposition to the Synod's mandates. Alternatively, they could reject Rafael Barossa's statements about Sulemaine and make clear that they ''do'' consider the methods and targets that she employed to be legitimate in the modern era. Since there are no statements from the Assembly even remotely supporting either such position, the civil service have not investigated the matter further, but any Urizeni priest who wanted to put forward such a mandate publicly could do so if they wished.

===The Temple of Blades===
* '''The Senate could strengthen the sword scholars position by funding fortified temples in Morrow'''
* '''This would require 60 wains of white granite, 50 wains of mithril, and 220 crowns and take six months to complete'''
* '''It would need to be ceded to the sword scholars, but in turn they would pay to maintain it'''
* '''The Temple of the Four Winds would become a special fortification that inflicted additional casualties on anyone attacking it'''
During the Autumn Equinox, the Urizen Assembly upheld and enacted a [[Mercy_is_weakness#The_Soul_Is_A_Blade|mandate]] that declared [[Sulemaine|the Paragon of Blades]] to be the perfect epitome of Urizen spirit, and encouraged every Urizeni to embrace her teachings. "''Let us bring strength against weakness and victory will be ours''" the mandate concluded. This vocal support for the sword scholars means that a number of the more reticent sects have come forward to recruit new members, and there is a steady stream of petitioners wishing to learn more at the gates of their temples. The sword scholars are warrior-priests; independent thinkers who do not work well as part of an organised military - but even their opponents among the [[sentinel|sentinels]] do not question their martial prowess.

The [[Senate]] could recognise this, and fund the creation of fortified sword scholar temples across Morrow - and potentially in any future Urizen territory. This would strengthen the position of the sword scholars. The merciless warriors living and studying at these temples would seek every opportunity to destroy the enemies of Urizen, keen to turn their weapons on the Druj, the Grendel, or any other foe that threatened their home. While individual temples would benefit from the funding, the focal point for this project would be the [[Envoy_to_the_Disciples_of_the_Tempest_Jade_Maiden#Temple_of_the_Four_Winds|Temple of the Four Winds]] in [[Morrow#Peregrp|Peregro]].

The [[commission]] would require 60 wains of white granite, 50 wains of mithril, and 220 crowns and would take six months to complete. As part of the motion, the Senate would need to formally [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Concedence|cede]] control of the fortified temples to the sword scholars themselves, otherwise construction could not go ahead. Once complete, the commission would see the Temple of Four Winds become a strength 3000 [[fortification]] in its own right. Garrisoned by merciless sword scholars, it would be supported by and support smaller temples across the territory. If the Temple were engaged by an enemy force during a campaign, it would inflict half again as many casualties on any attacking army as a fortification of the same size.

Ceding the temple would mean it would not require any [[Fortification#Upkeep|upkeep]] from the Senate treasury - the sword scholars would maintain their own temples and see to the provisioning of their own warriors. However, the civil service point out that this would also mean that the Senate would have no ability to control the fortification once it was complete. It could not simply be [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Abrogation|abrogated]]; it would take armed might or the destruction of the Temple of the Four Winds to remove them. The Temple could become a rallying point for any resistance in the unlikely event of conflict with the wider Empire.

It is not possible to build sword scholar temples in Redoubt - the resistance from the [[sentinel|sentinels]] is still too strong. If the Empire were to reconquer [[Spiral]] or [[Zenith]], or gain a new territory through conquest, there would be opportunities to fund sword scholar temples there as well - provided the situation in Urizen had not changed.

The opportunity to build the temple in Morrow remains available until the end of the Spring Equinox 384YE. After this time, the enthusiasm created by the earlier mandate will have ebbed away.

==The Freeborn Assembly==
* '''The Freeborn Assembly can embrace opposition to the General Assembly'''
While all this is going on, the Brass Coast National Assembly has [[383YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_21|voiced support for the Urizen Assembly, the sword scholars, and the reduced power of the Imperial Synod to enact mandates]]. While the statement references the Feast of the Broken Wheel, it has most impact among those who agree that the Synod has too much power over the spiritual wellbeing of individual citizens. People should be free to find their own paths, as the Founders did. The Freeborn Assembly could reach out to their people, and urge them to treat the words of the Imperial Synod with a healthy degree of scepticism. It would reduce their own ability to influence their nation but it would also ensure they were at liberty to better navigate their own paths through life.

<quote by="Brass Coast mandate">The example of the sword scholars of Urizen reflects the importance of individual faith and rejecting the authority of a Synod that has overstepped its bounds. Only fools obey without question. We send {named Priest} with 50 doses of liao to urge the Freeborn people to find their own path to the truth, and to challenge every Synod mandate.</quote>

If this mandate were enacted, then even if the General Assembly ended the mandate effect across the entire Empire, it would persist in the Brass Coast. As with Urizen, no mandate would have an effect on the Freeborn people unless it were backed up by a greater majority. Again, as with Urizen, the exact effect this would have would depend entirely on the mandate in question.

This is a bold stance for the Freeborn Assembly to take in the face of obvious opposition from the General Assembly. If the mandate were enacted it would encourage the people of the Brass Coast to consider their individual, personal relationship with the virtues in more detail. Over the next year it would likely lead to more opportunities to establish a new relationship with the Way.

==Submitting Alternative Mandates==
This situation is very volatile; priests are likely to have their own [[Mandate#Alternative_Mandates|alternative mandates]] to submit. Check the rules carefully - you can only submit an alternative mandate for an assembly you are part of, you can only submit one, and it will only be added to the wind of fortune if it offers a different outcome to those mentioned here.

It is also worth pointing out that while there are currently no mandates for the other virtue assemblies, there could be. Such mandates would need to address the matter of mandates needing a greater majority - most likely by supporting or opposing the General, Wisdom, or Urizen assemblies.

It's not possible to submit an alternative mandate in a national assembly other than the Urizen or the Brass Coast. If any other national assembly wishes to weigh in on the matter of mandates and opposition to the Synod, they would need to start with a [[statement of principle]].
==Resolution==
During the Winter Solstice, Rafael Barossa di Tassato raised the mandate detailed under [[#The_Definition_of_Folly|the Definition of Folly]]. While the mandate did not achieve a [[greater majority]], the [[383YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_fortune#The_Late_Empress|spiritual pilgrimage]] dedicated to the memory of [[Empress Lisabetta|Imperatrix Lisabetta]] meant that the mandate was still successful. At the same time Galene Netherwatch raised a mandate in the Wisdom Assembly [[The_price_of_wisdom#To_Test_What_You_Learn|encouraging the devoted of Wisdom to keep opposing mandates]]. It's not clear what the outcome of these two opposing mandates will be. Eurybia Melampus de Tassato enacted a mandate to [[#The_Opposing_Assemblies|encourage the Loyal]] to oppose mandates alongside the Wisdom assembly.

The civil service assessment of what will happen is based on the assumption that the General Assembly position is not challenged in the Wisdom or Urizen assemblies (at the very least). As this is not the case, then the situation will almost certainly become much more complicated.

Meanwhile, Clarice Novarion enacted a mandate allowing the Cardinal of Courage to [[#The_Opposing_Assemblies|prevent interference in a single mandate]] each season, and Clytemnestra of Urizen enacted the mandate to [[383YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_47|end discussion of Sulemaine]].

==Further Reading==
* [[Return of the sword scholars]] summarises the background behind this wind of fortune

Origins of the Vallorn

2026-08-01T11:25:48Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:History]][[Category:Navarr]]
==Overview==
There is no shortage of theories as to the origin of the [[vallorn]]. Some are more grounded in actual research than others, but a combination of the vallorn's changeable nature, the length of time since it began, and the purges of [[Emperor Nicovar]], make it very hard to say with any certainty where it came from. The most recent [[historical research]], commissioned by the [[Advisor on the Vallorn]] in 379YE brought together as much as is generally known in the Empire about where the infestation came from, and forms the basis for the information presented here.

The vallorn covers large areas of [[Hercynia]], [[Liathaven]], [[Therunin]], and [[Brocéliande]]. At one time, it completely covered these territories, and the territory of [[Miaren]]. The [[Striding|Stridings]] and [[Steading|Steadings]] of the [[Navarr]] have, over time, allowed portions of those territories to be reclaimed – and in the case of Miaren, entirely freed from vallorn infestation.

The vallorn itself is innately connected to the magic of the [[Spring magic|Spring realm]]. Speculation exists as to whether this means it is an intrusion into the mortal realm from the realm of Spring itself, or merely the result of an extremely powerful expression of mortal magic.

The vallorn spreads to fill all available territory, but like a ritual [[enchantment]] or [[curse]] tends not to extend beyond the borders of those territories without the assistance of outside forces. Specifically, attempts to spread the vallorn or utilise it as a doomsday weapon, have been reported occasionally in history but in all cases the nascent vallorn has been rooted out before it could gain purchase. As an example, a [[Unwelcome_guest|recent attempt]] to establish a vallorn in the forests of western [[Casinea]] by an apocalyptic cult were brought to an abrupt end by the [[Highguard_military_concerns#The_Seventh_Wave|Seventh Wave]] before the infestation could gain any purchase.

==Terunael==
Before the vallorn existed there was a human civilisation in the area now occupied by the Empire which is called “Terunael”. Scholars generally believe that Terunael was a contemporary of a [[People of the North|number of other human cultures]]; the [[Suaq]] and [[Kallavesi]] on the cold plains of the north-west; the Ushka in the forests and hills of the north-east; the fore-runners of the [[Urizen]] (and perhaps the [[Axos|Axou]]) in the south-east; and the fore-runners of the [[Feni]] (and perhaps the [[Iron Confederacy|Suranni]], and the [[Faraden]]) in the south-west. There is also some evidence that the vanished [[Gwerin Morfa]] civilisation had some dealing with the people of Terunael.

There may have been other peoples in the fertile plains, but no evidence of their existence has been found – although some scholars speculate that the structures credited to the paragon know as the [[Sentinel]], the dolmens of [[Bregasland]], or the [[Reikos#The_Sign_of_Tamar|Sign of Tamar]], may have been built by such a vanished nation.

The Terunael were clearly distributed over a wide area, as the locations of the modern forest territories indicate. It is believed that at the time the Terunael were active, much of this area would have been fertile plains scattered with normal woodlands - no reference to the cities as being built in “forests” has come to light during the exploration of the limited Terunael ruins.

While there are ruins that date to Terunael times in many places, there are no signs of large settlements outside of the five vallorn forests. This leads some researchers to speculate that the Terunael had more in common with the modern [[the League|League]] than with the contemporary Navarr. There is some circumstantial evidence to suggest Terunael, like the League, may have grown out of a confederation of tiny kingdoms rather than beginning as a single nation. At the time of the disaster that ended it, however, there seems to be evidence it was culturally, legally, and possibly politically, unified.

The cities themselves were certainly large settlements, but not on the scale of the League cities of today. Exploration in Miaren has shown that the central “cities” were more likely closer to large towns, surrounded by a network of farms and villages. The largest of these towns is believed to have been Terunael itself, and its ruins are said to stand at the heart of Brocéliande.
===Further Cities===
There are persistent rumours of additional cities beyond the ones that are part of the Empire today, some of which have been confirmed in recent years. The stories of a city north of [[Varushka]], built in lands now dominated by the [[Thule]], have proved to be true. The city of ''Emrys'' stood in what is now south-western [[Otkodov#Sk.C3.BCld|Sküld]], and the claim that the cold tundra around it was warmed and lit by an artificial sun appears to have been based partially on fact. Previously, the only evidence were claims from vales in Varushka about Ushkan records that speak of people coming from the north fleeing a disaster led by a “brave woman marked by horror and pain, and her son.” Some of these refugees settled in Varushka with the woman, others followed her son and joined with “their cousins to the south”- the people who would become the Navarr. As the peace with the northern [[orc|orcs]] continues, more facts begin to come to life that seem to confirm these ancient accounts.

For centuries there were unconfirmed reports that there is a vallorn in modern-day Axos. A recent expedition, funded by the [[Advisor on the Vallorn]], and arranged with the aid of the [[Ambassador to Axos]] and their counterparts in the eastern nation, confirmed the existence of an immense vallorn in the centre of Axos. According to the [[Terunael_in_Axos|first-hand account]] of Eilian Sweetwater, the civil servant who led the expedition, the vallorn at Visokuma is the largest known to exist and surrounds the ruins of the city of ''Cavan''.

Another rumour talks of a city east of [[Therunin]], somewhere in [[the Mallum]], built on the edge of a great marsh and referred to as ''Béantal Dol''. Again, there is a body of evidence that supports the existence of this city, including accounts of first-hand reports from a [[Druj]] [[Druj_lore#Ghulai|Ghulai]] named Greenmask. Located as it is in the Druj homelands, however, the truth of any such claims are treated cautiously by Imperial scholars.

Finally, there are stories of a city south of [[Sarvos]], drowned beneath the [[Bay of Catazar]], which is called “Feion Essa” and appears in fanciful stories. A common thread in the tale is the idea that the drowned city is inhabited by a race of intelligent fish-people who consort with dolphins and live a life of idyllic splendour. Most of these stories can be traced to a book written in the League sometime in the early days of the Empire and are widely discounted by serious scholars although it is not uncommon for an optimistic treasure hunter to launch an expedition into the Bay to find this lost city.

===War with the Orcs===
This is a common, recurring element in stories of the fall of Terunael and the birth of the vallorn. One or more orc nations were making war against them. The forerunners of the Druj and the Thule in particular are believed to have been invading the territories claimed by the Terunael in the east and north.

There is little evidence of unified attacks – as today, the orc nations were separate and fractious. Colwyn of Boarsdell has presented the theory that a third major factor lies in orc nations who are no longer in existence today. These additional nations occupied the lands now dominated by what is now [[Dawn]] and [[the Marches]]. One nation would have been the ancestors of the orcs finally exterminated by the Dawnish in [[Semmerholm]] during their first wave of expansion. The other nation most likely were the ancestors of the orcs driven out of the Marches, who later joined with the [[Jotun]] in the west. He further suggests that the bandit orcs of the Lasambrian hills are likely to be the descendants of the same orcs who attacked Liathaven during the fall of Terunael, before being driven west by the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] diaspora.

Either way, the true victors of the fall of Terunael were certainly the orcs. There are plenty of references that the human settlers who would later help form the Empire (Highguard, Dawn, the Steinr and the Vard) encountered a land populated by prosperous, healthy orc nations who had spread across the lands between the vallorn forests.

===Noble Magicians===
Navarr stories record that the cultured cities of Terunael were run by its magicians, but there is actually little concrete evidence to support this - or any claim about the politics of these ancient people. One theory is that the early Navarr described the cities as having been run by magicians because they were keen to find someone to blame someone for allowing the disaster to take place. They are generally characterised as having become wealthy, indulgent, authoritarian, irresponsible - and desperate. The contrast with the modern Navarr tradition of the [[Navarr_magical_traditions#Vates|vates]] is obvious; vates are seen as servants of the people, and expected to commit themselves to helping others rather than seeking positions of leadership.

There is also little evidence for how these magicians ruled, and many more questions than answers. Were the magicians in charge from the beginning or was it a later development? Were they organised into noble houses? Was there a council like our modern Conclave? Was there a single ruling magician in each city, similar to the [[Principalities of Jarm|Jarmish Magician-Prince]]? What was the status of people who were not magicians? None of these questions have been conclusively addressed by Imperial scholars.

Ham Whitelock of the Crimson Banner (a Highborn scholar of the vallorn writing in the reign of [[Emperor James]]) theorised that even if Terunael were not ruled by magicians before the orcs began to invade, they could easily have seized power during the resulting turmoil.

==Ritual Gone Awry==
Magic is one of the most powerful tools mortals can wield to effect large-scale change; it can also mean the difference between life and death on a battlefield. The common belief is that the vallorn came into being as the result of a powerful ritual that somehow "went wrong." Yet this belief is not universally supported.

Callus Strategos, [[Dean of the Lyceum]] in the time of [[Empress Brannan]], wrote in his ''Meditations'' that "''Rituals don't go wrong. They only do what they do - but they might do it in an unexpected way. Especially if you are overly impressed with your own cleverness.''” He expounded the theory that the vallorn was not the result of a magical accident, but a calculated attempt to achieve something very similar to the horror that eventually resulted.

It is not, however, inconceivable that the Terunael attempted to combine powerful enchantments, and in their desperation combined effects that were in some way incompatible with each other prompting a disastrous, unexpected reaction. After all, magicians know it is possible to enchant a region within a territory, a territory itself, and a group of unified territories with an effect such as [[Hallow of the Green World]]. The larger and more powerful an enchantment becomes, it has been argued, the more likely that some unexpected side-effect may result. Recent experiences with the use of Hallow of the Green world and [[Wondrous Forests of the Night]] cast upon the Empire seem to support this in theory at least.

This still does not suggest an “accident”, however. Not least because it is hard to imagine circumstances that would cause the same accident to overtake anywhere between five and nine well-established settlements simultaneously or near-simultaneously. The mere fact that the vallorn is roughly the same in each of the territories it infests tends to be seen as casting doubt on the "magical accident" theory.

Again, it is possible the early Navarr characterised the creation of the vallorn as an accident to distance their ancestors from criticism. An accident is the fault of fate, or chance, and cannot be easily avoided. Carelessness, desperation, a lack of wisdom – these are the failings of humans.
===Disastrous Consequences===
Some scholars speculate that the fall of Terunael was not actually caused by the vallorn itself but by some other mysterious force. The fact remains, however, that the vallorn acted on Terunael society in a similar way to which a full-stop acts on a sentence. Regardless of other factors, the vallorn destroyed Terunael.

All the stories, all the anecdotal evidence, and indeed all the physical evidence, agree that the disaster happened roughly simultaneously in each Terunael city. At the very least, if the disaster had happened in one or some of the cities and not all, it is likely that the unaffected cities would have offered aid to their allies, or at the very least taken some precautions – and there is little sign that this happened.

There are some surviving descriptions of the actual fall of Terunael. The modern perception of this event is often of a wave of unstoppable magic exploding from the hearts of the city and washing over the land like a glowing green tidal wave. Fractured accounts suggest that the reality was somewhat different. The vallorn began in a sick, infectious wave of life that cracked and crumbled stone, shot great trees up through streets and buildings, and warped, twisted and destroyed most of the inhabitants of those cities, scattering the others to the wind.

While the hearts of the cities were consumed very quickly, the rate of growth appears to have slowed as it expanded rather than accelerated. The reports talk of “refugees attempting to claim back their lands” and of “warriors (who) fought the spread of the green hell” and perhaps most tellingly “their people attacked by monstrous insects and deadly plants, and though they tried everything to fight it, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.“

Without doubt the vallorn directly was the cause of massive loss-of-life, but its initial spread was slow enough that the fore-runners of the Navarr (and perhaps other people now lost to antiquity) were able to flee to the “safety' of the plains.

These initial resistance groups were the first to discover the practical problem of fighting the vallorn. The vallorn is an aura that promotes life. Cut back a briar bush in a vallorn-infested area and it will regrow even as you are trying to cut down its neighbour. Even fire is ineffective – it seems to find little purchase on living vegetation within the vallorn.

A remedy was discovered however in [[the Dance of Navarr and Thorn]] – a ritual that siphons off the magical power that sustains the vallorn. Once weakened, the vegetation and creatures that thrive within it can be defeated. Unfortunately, it is a slow process. Any hope that the proto-Navarr might have had that they could quickly reclaim their homelands were swiftly dashed.

===Fight and Flight ===
There is no doubt that the Navarr fought the vallorn, before they were even called the Navarr. Not everyone fought however – the story of the “woman from the north” who fled south with her people has already been mentioned. There is some evidence that some of the Terunael survivors sought refuge with the Ushka, or among the Feni, and some very scattered mentions that some of those from Therunin might have ended up in the mountains with the Urizen (already in their high refuge by the time of the fall of the cities). Eilian Sweetwater's expedition, for example, brought numerous stories from Axos of Terunael refugees seeking sanctuary among the people of the citadels - albeit in most cases with tragic consequence.

It must also be remembered that the vallorn disaster occurred in the middle of an invasion. It is likely that an unknown number of refugees were killed by the orc armies as they fled their now-inhospitable lands. Others no doubt were taken as slaves or thralls, or died due to the many other dangers that lie in wait in the wilderness. It is likely for example that the scarcity of records about Béantal Dol may mean that those people who survived the fall of the city ended up as slaves of the orcs, with no chance to reach their fellow survivors to the west.

Those who did survive, and did try to fight were unified by “Navarr" and "Thorn” - legendary figures who may or may not have existed. It is unclear how much time passes between the fall of the cities and the sacrifice of these potentially-mythical figures, but the ritual that creates the [[trods]] is clearly performed for the first time within at most two or three decades of the disaster.

Contemporary scholars disagree, but there is written evidence from the earliest days of Highborn expansion that the first Dance of Navarr and Thorn was performed in Brocéliande, in the ruins of Terunael itself (assuming that city exists, or was called Terunael by its inhabitants). The rest of the trod network may have extended from Brocéliande, or it may have been expanded from each of the other cities in turn until the five were connected by trods.

There is no evidence that a trod network surrounds any of the other cities – if they are real and not fictional. There is one line in a dusty scroll recounting the earliest contacts between the Navarr and the Highborn settlers that talks about a “brave band of brands, who went up the river, and never returned” which may be a reference to an attempt to extend the trods to include “Béantal Dol” in the Mallum. Given that area is part of the Druj heartlands, it is perhaps unsurprising that these Navarr did not return.

==Nature of the Vallorn==
There is no clear guiding intelligence behind the vallorn. It does not plan, and it does not appear to be aware of itself or the world. It is not a creature, and the stories that it is some horrible pseudo-eternal from the Spring realm appear to be without any real foundation. Indeed, even the idea of “the vallorn” may itself be misleading. It is possible that the vallorn is no more a contiguous entity than any forest, marsh, town, or farmland. Creatures live in it; plants live in it; there is obviously a supernatural force at work. Yet it is not clear if that force operates with a purpose or not. It does not seem to actively expand itself, for example. The majority of cases where vallorn creatures or plants have been encountered outside of an actual area of vallorn power are almost always the result of tampering by humans or orcs.

Creatures within the vallorn enjoy unnatural vitality, while the air itself appears inimical to humans, but the so-called [[vallorn#Vallorn Miasma|vallorn miasma]] might just as easily be a product of some creature or vegetable that lives in the vallorn rather than a product of the same magic that provides supernatural health – and creates [[ettercap|ettercaps]] and other vallornspawn.

The miasma itself underlines how much is still unknown by Imperial scholars about the vallorn. For example, the earliest stories that speak of the Terunael fleeing their cities, and the Navarr fighting the vallorn, do not speak of the miasma at all. It seems peculiar that such an abominable phenomenon would be considered inconsequential, even taking into account the apocalyptic nature of the collapse they were experiencing. Yet by the time the Empire is founded, the miasma is ubiquitous. Yet the creatures that live symbiotically within the vallorn's compass seem unaffected by it.

The nature of the vallorn appears to be to transform creatures and plants within it, yet there are no records of Navarr steadings producing abominable beasts, or even having a higher-than-natural incidence of [[briar]] births as might be expected in an area steeped in invasive Spring magic.

There is still a great deal more to learn about the vallorn, it is clear – but such research must be undertaken by modern scholars, rather than sought in the writings of historians and past scholars who have taken too much for granted, and not thoroughly questioned their assumptions.
==Drustan==
Numerous scholars in Imperial History have believed they possessed particular insight into the vallorn. The [[archmage]] [[On_Rhonwen's_Fall#Rhonwen_and_Her_Fall|Rhonwen]] in whose honour [[Miaren#Rhonwen.E2.80.99s_Fall|Sanctuary Falls]] in [[Miaren]] was renamed is one well-known example. Perhaps less well known, despite being significantly more contentious, are the stories of Drustan (or Durstan) of the Briar whose (allegedly extensive) body of his work is largely unknown to modern scholars.

Born in [[Miaren#Holtford|Holtford]] in Miaren in 243YE, he studied magic from a young age and was regarded as one of the foremost vates of his time. He was allegedly a driven man, so obsessed with the vallorn that it occupied his every waking moment - to the extent that people admired him more than liked him, and even his close friends were concerned that his obsession might consume him.

Drustan was instrumental in several major battles against the vallorn, and was noted especially for his skills in turning Spring magic back on the creatures of the vallorn to destroy them. There are tales that credit him with identifying the vallorn susceptibility to [[Calls#VENOM|venom]], but historians take them with a pinch of salt it is unlikely that any one person achieved this feat alone, and it seems somewhat far-fetched that it was not already widely known by Drustan's time. What cannot be denied is that as a youth Drustan was regarded as the most brilliant warrior-magician of his age - possessed of an unerring instinct for picking the time to fight the vallorn he won battle after battle until his fall from grace.

After the great defeat in Brocéliande in 268YE, when over 6,000 Navarr lost their lives, Drustan swore off war against the vallorn claiming that the Navarr were pursuing the wrong approach. Thereafter his work became increasingly experimental - perhaps even eccentric. He made public speeches criticising the Navarr leaders accusing them of trying to play the vallorn at its own game. Not surprisingly such views were not well received and Drustan was soon increasingly isolated. While his genius with magic could not be denied, his political views were simply unacceptable.

An excellent example of this lack of political acumen is taken from the speech given by Drustan at a standing in Liathaven in 272YE. The meeting had been called to discuss the possible risks of the vallorn in Liathaven spreading, a fear which apparently occupied the Navarr minds as much then as it does today. Drustan became increasingly agitated and when finally allowed he berated everyone present. There is a transcript, and the incredulity of the scribe is clear as Drustan makes the outlandish and unsupported claim that the Dance of Navarr and Thorn is designed to ''spread'' the vallorn. Needless to say, he faced extreme censure from his peers and there are no further records of Drustan speaking publicly after this occasion.

If this were all there was to tell of Drustan, that would probably be the end of the matter: a brilliant, but misguided briar who descended into inevitable madness from the hours spent studying Spring magic. But his lifelong friend - Arrayne, a Dawnish troubadour - claimed that Drustan made some kind of break-through toward the end of his life. He met with Arrayne a final time, in Summer 278YE and told her that he had solved the vallorn problem. Arrayne claims that Drustan explained everything to him, but unfortunately Arrayne lacked any real understanding of magic and all he could recall later was that Drustan was convinced he had worked out how to "fix" the vallorn and that it all sounded very convincing.

Few people take this very seriously as Drustan immediately set off - alone - into the vallorn heart of Liathaven - apparently to prove his theory. Given that he was never seen again, it seems likely that it was his mind that had broken new ground and not his theories. Of course it is also technically possible he had solved the problem and he was simply eaten by an ettercap before he could prove it. Likely we will never know. His name briefly became a byword for brilliant minds with no friends and then eventually it was just forgotten altogether. Arguably, given how long the Navarr have dedicated themselves to the work of fighting the vallorn, it is actually rather strange that there aren't more figures like Drustan in their history.
{{Vallorn links}}

The final cut

2026-08-01T11:25:17Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:387YE Spring]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>Metella shifted her quill and ink to the side of her desk, as she mentally rifled though her thoughts for the umpteenth time. The parchment in front of her had been sat here on the desk for three days now, despite which it remained stubbornly blank.

"I don't know why you're bothering Metella, you're retired remember?"

That had been yesterday's interruption. Ancius, one of her spiremates at the Hollows, always liked to help with writers block. An hour long debate had followed, in which Metella had explained three times how the foundational principle of good law was that it was readily understandable. To which Ancius' only counter was to say "But you're not a magistrate any more, so why does it matter?" as if ''that'' had anything to do with anything. Sometimes the former sword scholar could be so exasperating.

Still, he had a point. She'd been having these arguments with her colleagues for years. A career as a rather successful magistrate, if she did say it herself, prosecuting religious crimes. In twenty years her one notable defeat had been the failure to persuade the other magistrates that there was as many shortcomings in religious law as there were in the people breaking them.

"It matters, because people must ''know'' if they are breaking the law. They must know if the law has been broken. It can't be a matter for debate!" she had responded. Ancius didn't much care for the law, but he never turned down an opportunity for an argument.

People were fond of saying that ignorance was no defence in law - altogether too fond in Metella's opinion. Nobody should ever tolerate ignorance as far as she was concerned. Blaming the student was the easy answer. To banish ignorance is first and foremost the responsibility of the teacher.

Hmmm... now that was not a bad line. Not... teacher... but...

Metella smiled to herself for the first time in days as she picked up her quill, dipped it in the well and put the nib to the paper.

"To banish ignorance is - first and foremost - the responsibility of the writer. The law must elucidate! Clear wording can bring the light of understanding to illuminate the lives of everyone who reads it."

A little poetic perhaps, but it was a strong start. Her pen began to race across the parchment as the words flew out of her. It had been a few years now since she'd last written to Karkovich; perhaps his views had mellowed in that time.

And if not... well the only real defeat is the one in your own mind, as Ancius liked to say.
</ic>
{{CaptionedImage|file=CardWisdom.jpg|width=250|caption=Silas of the Cenotaph, Cardinal of Wisdom|align=left}}
==Overview==
At the Autumn Equinox 386YE, four citizens publicly swore an oath to bear an [[aura]] of [[Malign spiritual presences#Peace|Peace]] for the coming year. Three of the citizens were [[cardinal|cardinals]] of the [[Synod]], and the fourth was acting as [[proxy]] to the [[Cardinal of Prosperity]]. In the history of the Empire, there has never been a successful [[judgement]] of condemnation against a member of the [[Assembly#Assembly_of_the_Nine|Assembly of the Nine]] elected by the Virtue assemblies. Despite this, all four were quickly [[Sanction#Condemnation|condemned]] as [[Religious_crime#Heresy|heretics]] and [[Religious_crime#Blasphemy|blasphemers]] by the [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|Assembly]] of [[Vigilance]] and a trial was scheduled to happen at the subsequent summit.

While preparations were made for the trial of the four, the Synod passed several judgements, all of which related to the trial, the underlying issues and the conduct of those involved. Several judgements passed by various assemblies decried the accusations of blasphemy and heresy, and called for a much narrower definition of the crime than is typically understood. The civil service had issued some guidance to the [[Synod]] on how the General Assembly might use a [[judgement]] of [[Sanction#Vindication|vindication]] to clear the accused, but every judgement stopped short of that - and it was clear that many priests were unhappy with the actions of those involved.

The trial itself collapsed in dramatic fashion following a [[statement of principle]], the now infamous ''[[386YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_42|Judgement 42]] of the General Assembly'', that laid out new guidelines on how religious crimes should be judged. The judgement made it impossible for the magistrates to continue with the proceedings, and they ruled that if any trial was to take place then it would be necessary for a new judgement of condemnation to be raised.

Imperial law is surprisingly ambiguous on what actually constitutes blasphemy and heresy. In the years immediately following the death of Empress Britta, the Synod generally adopted a punitive approach, condemning anyone who was dedicated to a false virtue. In situations where auras of false virtues arose spontaneously on items, they were routinely gathered up and destroyed. But in the last few years there has been a less dogmatic approach with a [[386YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_179|Highborn general, '''Achseh of the Sentinels Tower''', being absolved]] after they were found to be dedicated to the false virtue of Hate.

Now the actions of these four members of the Assembly of Nine have cut the Synod in two.

==Four Judgements==
* '''Judgements were passed that decried the use of condemnation against those involved'''

At the last summit, the Imperial Synod passed a number of judgements that decried the condemnations in strong terms. The judgements referred to the definitions of the religious crimes of heresy and blasphemy laid out in Imperial law. These definitions are surprisingly ambiguous and do appear to leave considerable room for subjective interpretation.

<quote by="Imperial Law">The crime of blasphemy is defined as: ''The denigration of the paragons and the paths of virtue. This includes promoting false virtues and the teachings of false exemplars or false paragons.''</quote>

<quote by="Imperial Law">The crime of heresy is defined as: ''The wilful rejection, or perversion of, the orthodox Doctrines of the Faith as laid down by the Imperial Synod, or actively teaching and promoting false doctrines.''</quote>

A number of [[judgement|judgements]], including one passed by the General Assembly were explicit that the actions of the four did not meet these definitions. In some cases the very notion that anyone should be condemned for these actions was itself denounced.

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px;">
{{SOPInner|statement=Condemning the study of false virtues undermines the foundation of the Way. Ours is a practice of investigation and learning, not of blind dogma. If such study is found unbecoming of Cardinals then let them be revoked, <u>NOT</u> condemned.|when=Winter Solstice 386YE|by=Brynn Tendfallen, Navarr Assembly|vote=176-10}}

{{SOPInner|size=small|statement=Penance: Following inquisition I do not hold that the actions of INISKA ASHWOOD rise to the crimes of Blasphemy or Heresy. That their acceptance of the Hallowed Aura of the False Virtue of Peace was motivated not by an intent to denigrate the Way, but a Wise desire for deeper understanding of the formation of the Way and a Loyal push to improve the Empire. The failing was in not making those Virtuous Reasons clear as such I task Iniska to create and distribute a clear and in-depth publication outlining their reasoning for taking the Aura and an idea of what they have and could learn.|vote=94-46|by=Maximillian, Assembly of the Way|when=Winter Solstice 386YE}}

{{SOPInner|statement=Auras are tools of teaching and inspiration. It is blasphemy to teach false virtue. It is <u>not</u> blasphemy to be taught false virtue. We should condemn the fools so dedicated to lesser qualities that they create auras of malign inspiration. Those who come under their influence should be granted opportunity to turn back to virtue. <u>Condemn</u> the dedicated teachers.|when=Winter Solstice 386YE|by=Ilai, General Assembly|vote=656-308}}

{{SOPInner|statement=To declare the act of agreeing to experience and study an aura for a year, without the intent or expectation to promote it, as blasphemy or heresy is an attack on the nature of the Way. It declares knowledge complete, defangs the counsel of doctrinal reform, and makes investigative theology illegal.|when=Winter Solstice 386YE|by=Caoimhe Tendfallen, Assembly of the Way|vote=120-36}}
</div>

A number of priests beyond [[Anvil]] have disagreed with these judgements. '''Brynn Tendfallen''' claims that condemning the study of false virtues undermines the Way, but the four weren't condemned for studying false virtues - they were condemning for embracing [[Malign spiritual presences#Peace|Peace]]. It seems to be true that the purpose of embracing the virtue of Peace was to study it - but that defence assumes that the purpose of the action is all that matters in determining whether it is a crime or not (which Imperial law makes clear is not the case).

Likewise '''Maximillian''' found Iniska Ashwood not guilty of the charges of blasphemy and heresy on the grounds that it was not their intent to commit either crime. But Imperial law lays out an explicit framework for dealing with [[intent]] in a trial; an action is still a crime if it breaks the law, even if that was not the actors intent.

'''Ilai's''' judgement states that it is blasphemy to teach the false virtues, and that it is ''not'' blasphemy to ''be taught'' a false virtue. But there is no evidence that the four were condemned for teaching false virtues or for being taught them. The definition of blasphemy also includes the promotion of false virtues. '''Caoimhe Tendfallen''' states emphatically that there was no intention to promote the false virtues, and thus far nobody has suggested that such promotion was the ''intention'' of those accused.

But the promotion of false virtues may well have been the motivation of the [[Axos|Axou]] priests when they responded to the request to provide the hallows. If they wanted to spread acceptance of Peace in the Empire, what better way to do that than to ask the Assembly of Nine to embrace the auras? Are the four responsible for the promotion of Peace in the Empire if that outcome is the direct result of their decision to swear an oath to bear auras of the false virtue?

==Condemnation and Penance==
* '''Judgements were also passed that agreed with the condemnation and instructed penance for one of those involved'''

The General Assembly also passed a judgement that appeared to confirm that the original condemnation of at least one of the four, '''Viviane Barossa de Coeurdefer''', Cardinal of Ambition, was appropriate. The judgement did not get a [[greater majority]], but it might have done, had the Cardinal not resigned before it closed.

{{SOP|statement=Penance: Viviane Barossa de Coeurdefer, Cardinal of Ambition, willingly and knowingly took upon herself a hallowed object of the false virtue of "understanding" (also known as peace). They refuse to set this aside for a year. A cardinal is an example of Virtue to, and for, the Empire, and as such Viviane has shown themself to set a dangerous example, that we should condemn and revoke.|vote=812-288|by=Callista of the Dark Shard, General Assembly|when=Winter Solstice 386YE}}
But like the previous arguments, some priests beyond Anvil have found cause to disagree with this judgement. Nobody is disputing that the four took upon themselves hallowed objects of Peace and refused to set them aside for a year. But it is arguable whether that meets the legal definition of blasphemy or heresy.

Crucially the judgement then goes on to suggest that the Cardinal has set a dangerous example, with the implicit suggestion that this action is wrong because they are a Cardinal. However the Imperial constitution states that Imperial law must be applied ''without prejudice or favour regardless of wealth, nationality or title''.

That is normally understood to mean that nobody is above the law regardless of their title, but it implies that the fact that three of the four were Cardinals should have no influence one way or the other on the application of Imperial law. A Cardinal should not be exempt from the law, but nor can they be held to a higher standard by it. It is the responsibility of the Synod to revoke those who set a dangerous example, but ''being a dangerous example to others is not illegal''.

What is very clear to across the Empire is that there are legitimate arguments that can be made for and against the condemnation. The ambiguity in the law has led to a situation in which the lives of the four might hang in the balance, yet it is not clear if their actions constitute religious crimes or not. What actually constitutes "promotion" of the false virtues? Is it denigrating the true Virtues to openly carry a item hallowed to Peace?

This controversy has raised a plethora of questions, but three are now pressing.

==Questions for the Synod==
* '''People beyond Anvil are demanding answers from the Synod on the way to respond to false virtues'''

The Imperial Synod has upheld a number of statements and judgements related to the four, but they have in some cases been contradictory and simply helped increase the confusion felt by the virtuous folk of the Empire. This confusion risks causing citizens to question the moral authority of the Synod, coming as it does on the heels of the still-largely-unresolved [[True faith|Vardas Crisis]]. There was an opportunity to vindicate, or further condemn, the four but that was not entirely achieved but only one of the four remains a member of the Assembly of Nine.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_Vigilance.png|align=right|width=200}}
As such, the discourse beyond Anvil is currently focussed elsewhere. Rather than concern themselves with the rights and wrongs of individuals, it is matters of Virtue, false and true, that people are demanding answers on. Sadly, it has escalated to the point that the only body that can bring clarity to the faithful of the Empire is a clear mandate from the General Assembly.

There are, as a result of the statements and other judgements over the last six months or so, two mandates on the table.
===Be Alert To All Dangers===
* '''The General Assembly can enact a mandate urging citizens to reject false virtues'''

There are clearly priests at Anvil who believe that the [[malign spiritual presences|malign spiritual presence]] of [[Malign spiritual presences#Peace|Peace]] is a threat to the Empire and the Imperial Synod. [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_Seven|Doctrine]] says "''There are seven Virtues that guide the spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages. These are Ambition, Courage, Loyalty, Pride, Prosperity, Vigilance and Wisdom. Other qualities may benefit humanity, but lend no aid through the passage of death to rebirth, and some may hinder it.''" There have been discussions about what a "quality that may benefit humanity" might be, and what a quality that may hinder its passage from death to rebirth might looks like. Generally, the "malign spiritual presences" - Peace, Vengeance, Hatred and the rest, as held to be dangerous to the soul and its quest for rebirth. Or, presumably, its passage across the Howling Abyss.

The four have been roundly condemned by the Vigilance assembly. Other priests have directly questioned the decision to partake of auras of peace.

{{Mandate|mandate=The malign spiritual presences are a direct threat to the Empire. We send (named priest) with 75 doses of liao to warn the virtuous folk of the Empire that their vigilance must continue. For nearly four hundred years we have kept these dangerous forces at bay and we must not drop our guard now.|assembly=General Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, it will resolve this issue of peaceful hallows, and align the General Assembly with the Vigilance assembly. It will make it clear that there are Seven Virtues, and that the malign spiritual presences are so-called because they are dangerous to the Empire and hinder the quest for [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_Enlightenment|enlightenment]].

The Virtuous will be vigilant against the teachings or influence of Peace, Hatred, Vengeance, Anarchy, Hope, and Fear. They will recognise spiritual powers other than the Seven Virtues as dangerous and malign and act appropriately - bringing them to the attention of their priests or taking action themselves where appropriate. Existing cults dedicated to so-called "false virtues" will continue to keep a low-profile trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves as they have been since the [[Splitting the pot|destruction of Whittle]].

It will still be possible to learn more about these malign spiritual presences, but it will involve directing the [[Historical research#Department of Historical Research|Department of Historical Research]] or the [[Silent Bell]] to do so, and be based on the understanding that these powers are dangerous. There will also, unfortunately, likely be further questions about why Silas remains Cardinal of Wisdom and what that means for the Assembly of Nine and the Wisdom Assembly.

It will also send a message to the magistrates involved in the rework of religious law, making it clear that the Synod considers these powers to be blasphemous and heretical, and encourage them to make decisions appropriately. This may make it untenable for anyone to bear a hallow of Peace - meaning that the hallowed items will need to be seized and destroyed by the militia.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_Wisdom.png|align=right|width=200}}

===Find the Right Question===
* '''The General Assembly can enact a mandate urging citizens to learn more about false virtues'''

The one remaining member of the four who still holds the title of Cardinal, '''Silas of the Cenotaph''', has been very clear that they believe in the necessity of exploring spiritual presences other than the familiar seven virtues. That without this kind of exploration [[the Way]] cannot learn and grow. Their supporters, in both the [[Wisdom]] Assembly and the Assembly of Nine, continue to endorse the decision made. Indeed the only relevant judgement to achieve a [[greater majority]] of an assembly in this matter appears to be that raised by the Assembly of Nine - although there, also, it seems that two of those eligible to vote did not support the judgement.

The General Assembly can choose to endorse and support this stance - that the virtuous should explore the so-called false virtues.

{{Mandate|mandate=Wisdom knows all knowledge is incomplete. We cannot take hearsay at face value, but must explore the nature of these unfamiliar spiritual powers so we can better understand them. We send (named priest) with 75 doses of liao to urge the virtuous not to be afraid of increasing their understanding.|assembly=General Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, it will resolve this issue of the peaceful hallows, and align the General Assembly with the Wisdom Assembly on the need to explore spiritual powers other than the Seven Virtues. The Virtuous will be open to the idea that Peace, Hatred, Vengeance, Anarchy, Hope, and Fear might be forces that benefit humanity, or even in theory be equal in importance to the accepted Seven Virtues.

Over the next year there will be further opportunities for priests of the Synod to experience and explore false virtues, to increase their understanding by personally engaging with them. It will, however, also make it clear to the virtuous of the Empire that it is acceptable for them to explore these powers. Since the destruction of Whittle, those secretly dedicated to Hatred, Anarchy, Vengeance and Peace in particular have been keeping their heads down, trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves. This mandate will encourage some of these pre-existing hidden sects dedicated to these so-called "false virtues" to become more bold.

The mandate will also send a message to the magistrates, even before the full review of religious law. They will take the view that it is clearly not blasphemy or heresy to bear items hallowed with false auras, nor to be dedicated to other powers or bear their auras. There will be no further attempt to separate the four from their hallowed items.

<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Peace and its Cousins</big>'''<br>While this crisis has developed as a result of items hallowed to "Peace", the controversy surrounding it has widened to include other malign spiritual presences as well. If it is appropriate to experience Peace, then it is surely appropriate to experience Hatred or Vengeance? If it is blasphemy to bear a hallow of Peace, then surely it is also blasphemy to bear a hallow of Hope or Anarchy? Neither of these mandates prevent the Synod potentially exploring a more granular approach in the future, perhaps even a change of doctrine relating to the malign spiritual presences. For now, however, they make it clear one way or another what the Synod believes, generally, about so-called "false virtues".</box></div>

===Competition and Unity===
* '''These mandates are in competition with each other'''
* '''If a mandate is not upheld with a greater majority, it will not affect Urizen or Varushka'''

[[Varushka]], [[Urizen]], and now potentially [[Wintermark]] all take issue with [[mandate|mandates]] enacted by the General Assembly that do not achieve a greater majority. If one of these mandates is upheld and enacted without that majority, it will have no impact in those nations critical of such things. This risks causing further disruption, as the majority of the Empire's virtuous citizens follow the guidance of the Synod but those other nations continue to argue, their concerns in no way mollified. It's not possible to predict what form this might take, but it will certainly mean more disruption for the Synod.

As such the [[Tribune of the Synod]] has advised that if one of these mandates is raised, it might be prudent for the Cardinal of Vigilance or the Cardinal of Wisdom (as appropriate) to request that [[Cardinal#Further_Scrutiny|further scrutiny]] be applied, ensuring as many Synod members as possible have time to discuss and make their opinions known. If both mandates are raised and upheld, the Tribune notes that as with all competing mandates it is the one with the greater margin that will be enacted - meaning that it is just as important for priests to vote against a mandate they do not support as it is to vote in favour of one they do support.

===No Clear Decision===
* '''The Imperial Synod may choose to uphold or enact neither mandate'''
* '''This will cause the situation to continue to escalate'''
It is possible the General Assembly will not choose to uphold or enact either of these mandates during the Spring Equinox. In that case, the situation will continue to develop unpredictably. The likely outcome will be that there will be no opportunities to learn more about the malign spiritual presences, but that some of those who follow them in secret will still feel empowered to take advantage of the confusion to begin recruiting or putting their dangerous schemes into operation. Nothing will be resolved, and this particular crisis, along with the already existing crisis created by the [[Life of Vardas]] will continue.

===Complex Questions===
* '''The faithful of the Empire are eager to read any Statements of Principle on this subject that pass their virtue assembly with a greater majority'''
Regardless of what the General Assembly chooses to do, the virtuous pilgrims of the Empire are watching their own assemblies with interest. Several - both national and virtuous - have spoken out one way or another, but those statements have tended not to achieve greater majorities. Following the Spring Equinox there cannot help but be additional scrutiny by both priests and [[congregation|congregations]] of any statement of principle that discussed malign spiritual presences - provided it gets a greater majority and thus receives widespread attention. The virtuous are very keen to hear from their assemblies, one way or another.

==Questions for Wintermark==
* '''The Wintermark Assembly can use a mandate to urge members of the nation to ignore the words of priests from outside the nation'''
{{SOP|by=Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark, Wintermark Assembly|when=Winter Solstice 386YE|statement=The Assembly of Nine have dabbled with malign spiritual forces in an irresponsible way. The General Assembly continues to act with reckless disregard for the finite resources in of the Empire. While this chaos continues we, your stormcrows, urge the people of Wintermark to heed the guidance of the National Assembly over the poor example set by the rest of the Synod.|vote=Greater Majority (180-34)}}

The [[Wintermark]] Assembly has openly criticised the decisions of the Assembly of Nine to dabble with malign spiritual forces. They passed a judgement, with a greater majority, calling them irresponsible and criticising the decisions of the General Assembly to act with reckless disregard for the Empire's wellbeing. The judgement concluded with a collective plea from the [[Stormcrow|Stormcrows]] at Anvil for the people of Wintermark to turn their backs on the other assemblies.

A dramatic and controversial statement like this is bound to cause a reaction. By itself, such a plea might not be enough to convince people that they should stop listening to the Synod. In light of the controversy surrounding the decisions taken by members of the Assembly of Nine, people are open to the idea that the rest of the Synod can no longer be trusted. If the Wintermark Assembly are serious about their statement they could use a mandate to encourage people to do as they have suggested.

{{Mandate|mandate=Despise folly and chastise the fool that spreads it. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to encourage Wintermark citizens to heed the guidance of the stormcrows and ignore the judgements of other assemblies. Cold cannot compromise.|assembly=Wintermark Assembly}}

If this mandate is enacted, then it will encourage people in Wintermark to treat the words of the Synod with suspicion. They will judge harshly any statement of principle passed or mandate enacted, aware of the corruption in the Assembly of Nine at the heart of the Synod.
<div style="float:right; width: 200px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Assembly_Wintermark.png|width=3200px|align=right}}</div>
If that happens, then any mandate that does not pass with a [[greater majority]] will have limited or no effect on Wintermark, unless that mandate were passed by the Wintermark Assembly itself. No amount of [[liao]] will persuade the people of the 'Mark to listen to the mandate unless the Synod is able to speak with the resounding clarity produced by a greater majority.

Such a decision is not to be taken lightly, for it would not be easy to reverse. It would need more than just a compelling statement of principle in the Wintermark Assembly to convince the people of the Mark to regain their trust in the Synod. It would have to be accompanied by clear evidence that the Assembly of Nine are no longer dealing with malign spiritual auras and the General Assembly are making more responsible decisions.

==Questions for the Magistrates==
* '''The judgements passed by the Synod made it impossible for magistrates to determine the basis on which the trial should take place'''
* '''The Constitutional Court plan to update Imperial doctrine to make it easier for the Synod to make clear what constitutes a religious crime'''
* '''The Court have asked the Imperial Senate not to amend Imperial law on religious crimes until they have had time to publish new guidance for the magistrates'''
* '''Until that happens, the magistrates will assume that a judgement of condemnation meets the definition of a religious crime unless it is overwhelmingly clear that it does not'''
* '''Any judgements of condemnation raised by the Synod will be tried on this basis'''
{{SOP|statement=Accurate information on false virtues has benefited us militarily and diplomatically as well as making it easier to oppose cultists within the Empire. Engagement with false virtue auras alone should not be prosecuted as a religious crime where the following are true:
<p>
# The action was motivated by true virtue.
# The action was taken in full view of the synod.
# The false virtue was intended to be removed in reasonable time.
# There was no preaching against doctrine.
# There was no intent to denigrate a true virtue, exemplar, or paragon.
</p>|by=Tarquinius Ankarien|vote=814-166|when=Winter Solstice 386YE}}
According to legal doctrine, it is for the [[Imperial_law#Magistrates_and_trials|magistrates]] to decide whether someone's actions meet the definitions of a religious crime or not. In ''practice'' it has been customary for a magistrate to place great weight on the deliberations on the Imperial Synod. Magistrates aim to ensure there is no miscarriage of justice taking place, to satisfy themselves that a condemnation is not vexatious or simply wrong on the facts of what occurred. But most magistrates assume they do not need to make an assessment of whether or not the actions constitute heresy or blasphemy - taking the view that that assessment has ''already been made'' by the Imperial Synod when they passed their judgement.

It is not explicit whether the judgement submitted by '''Tarquinius Ankarien''' and passed by the General Assembly contains conditions by which the Synod might judge whether an action constitutes heresy or blasphemy or whether it was intended to be used by the magistrate conducting the trial. The judgement passed shortly before the trial began, causing a hasty convention of senior magistrates outside the trial room.

The magistrate in charge of the trial, '''Cosme i Zuhri i Guerra''', took the view that the Synod intended them to follow the guidance in the judgement. As legal doctrine gives the magistrate the right to determine how they conduct a trial, the magistrate indicated that they intended to do so in accordance with the judgement. After a short but fractious conference with '''Abraham''' and '''Karkovich''', Cosme announced the trial would proceed on the basis laid out in the judgement, but would be delayed until the next day to allow the priests who raised the original judgements time to reframe their prosecution. However, after subsequent discussion the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional Court|Constitutional Court]] announced that the implications of the judgement were so far-reaching that it was not possible to continue with the trial.

If magistrates are to use a set of criteria to assess if actions constitute a religious crime then it is not entirely clear what the purpose of a [[Condemnation|Judgement of Condemnation]] is. Crucially, the fact that the judgement passed raises serious questions about the basis used by the Vigilance Assembly when they raised the original judgements of condemnation. Did the Vigilance Assembly intend the magistrates to assess whether the actions of the four met the legal definition of heresy and blasphemy or had they already concluded that that bar had been met? In the view of the Constitutional Court it was impossible for the trial to proceed without absolute clarity from the Synod on what basis such a trial should be conducted.

Since the summit concluded, the Constitutional Court have spent considerable time assessing the impact of judgement 42, along with the other judgements passed by the Imperial Synod. While it is theoretically possible for a magistrate to make the assessment, the view of the Court is that to do so would fundamentally impinge on the constitutionally appointed role of the Synod. The relevant sections of the [[Imperial Constitution]] state that ''"The Synod will ensure the behaviour of individual citizens does not debase the Empire."'' This role is so fundamental to the purpose of the Synod that after lengthy consideration, the Constitutional Court believe there are major constitutional hurdles in any attempt to shift this responsibility to the magistrates.

The view of the Constitutional Court is that Tarquinius' judgement has exposed fundamental shortcomings in the way [[Imperial law]] is applied by the magistrates, by highlighting the distinction between Imperial doctrine and practice. The basis for Imperial law is that the law should lay out what practices are proscribed and what are not - and then magistrates should determine whether those rules have been broken. The fact that the Synod has felt the need to issue additional guidance - whether that was intended for the Synod or the magistrates - coupled with the fact that different assemblies have taken strikingly different views on the matter in question raises fundamental issues of justice. If the magistrates can't determine if someone is guilty of blasphemy or heresy, if the Synod can't agree what constitutes a religious crime, how can any citizen be expected to observe the law?

As a result, the Court has resolved to update Imperial legal doctrine at the earliest opportunity. Imperial law states that heresy and blasphemy are illegal, and the constitution dictates that Synod should determine what constitutes a religious crime. But how that determination is made, and how the decisions are communicated to the magistrates, can be amended. The Court are going to study the historical records, going back as far as [[Empress Teleri]], to see if there is a better alternative that they can adopt.
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; max-width: 500px; width: 50%;">
<box>
===Design Notes===
<p>The extraordinary events of the last summit has exposed some of the shortcomings of this part of the game so we plan to update the published rules for religious crimes in the Empire. We want to give the Synod much better tools to preserve the integrity of the Way and to determine what actions constitute religious crimes. This is likely to take some time, as we would rather get it right, than rush it, but we'll try to get it done as quickly as we can. The current system remains in place until the rules are updated - on the basis laid out in this section.</p>

<p>We are going to redesign this part of the game to make it work better. Players are welcome to send feedback at any time, but please don't attempt to change this part of the game in-character using the Senate. Once we've completed a review and made any changes, the Senate will be free to change religious laws as usual.</box>
</div>
Such a review will take time. Until that happens, they ask the Imperial Senate not to make any changes to Imperial law on the matter of religious crimes, lest that make the job more difficult. In the meantime, the Court has confirmed that the correct legal procedure is for the Synod to determine to the best of its ability an individual has committed a religious crime. If that happens, then they can use a judgement of condemnation to condemn them and a magistrate will then conduct the trial, based on the assumption that the Synod has correctly determined that the actions constitute a religious crime.

This means that the role of the magistrate is limited to ensuring that no miscarriage of justice is being enacted. The prosecution must still meet basic evidential standards - they must present reasoning that shows why the actions the suspects are accused of are broadly compatible with the legal definition of blasphemy or heresy. Provided they meet that very basic standard, the magistrate will ''not'' try to assess whether actions constitute a religious crime or not - because that determination has already been made by the Synod. They will restrict their judgement to assessing whether or not the individual committed the actions they are accused of.

If an assembly determines that one or more or the four has committed a religious crime, then they can pass a new judgement condemning them. If that happens then a magistrate will conduct the trial with the view that an assessment of the actions in question have already taken place and that the Synod has determined that they constitute a religious crime.

As per [[A_little_understanding#The_Synod_Judges|the guidance issued previously]], the ''only'' way that the Synod could influence or prevent the ensuing trial would be if the General Assembly passed a judgement of ''vindication''. If that was worded appropriately, then it would override any previous judgement of condemnation by the Synod.

==Further Reading==
* [[A little understanding]] - 386YE Winter wind of fortune discussing the initial repercussions of the peaceful decision
* [[Malign spiritual presences]]

Torchbearer

2026-08-01T11:25:04Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Urizen]][[Category:Archetype]]
==Overview==
The torchbearers are dedicated to ensuring as many people as possible know the [[Urizen hearth magic|truth]]. They strive to keep their fellow citizens informed about current events, but they also delve into the past to make sure that the Empire is built on solid foundations. They dislike falsehood and secrets, especially political secrets, and regularly clash with those who value a palatable lie over a painful truth as well as those with something to hide.

Torchbearers often write and publish journals and pamphlets, or maintain a wide circle of correspondents with whom they share their findings. Many travel extensively, learning as much about other nations as they can and creating networks of allies and confidants who can help keep them abreast of what is happening across the Empire. They are drawn to places where important events are happening, making them a regular presence all over [[Anvil]] during the seasonal summits. Depending on their particular interests they may become political commentators, battlefield observers, or even criminal investigators.

Nothing built on a foundation of lies can endure - nor should it - and the ultimate goal of the torchbearers is to transform the Empire. They strive to convince their fellow citizens to embrace the truth as they do, to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking think critically] about the news they hear, and to demand accountability from their leaders.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><box>'''Torchbearers and Archivists<br>
There is significant tension between torchbearers and [[Highguard|Highborn]] [[Highguard_history#Archivists|archivists]]. The torchbearer philosophy is at odds with the archivist's tendency to treat facts as less important than evoking a "greater truth" with their stories. No matter how inspirational these accounts are, treating them as historical fact is dangerous. Fictional tales are valuable because they can inspire and entertain as long as everyone understands the difference between history and fancy.</box></div>

==History==
While the pursuit of the truth has always been a calling in Urizen, the modern torchbearer movement began with the brilliant if eccentric artisan Didactylos of Delving. He was a fixture of the seasonal summits at [[Anvil]] throughout the reigns of [[Emperor Giovanni]] and [[Empress Richilde]]. Every evening during the first hour of full dark, he would declaim important facts about the day's happening on the steps of the Senate building, while holding aloft a heavy orichalcum torch set with a fist-sized [[Technology#Lightstones|lightstone]]. A popular anecdote recounts how, on discovering how heavy this torch was, a friend offered to make him a much lighter instrument using a mithril alloy. Didactylos scoffed and countered that he could easily do that himself, but then it would be too easy to fall into temptation and waste words embellishing his accounts, boring his audience, and obfuscating the truth. After his death in 72YE his name was placed before the [[Synod]] with a [[judgement]] of [[recognition]] as an exemplar of Wisdom, but while that judgement was successful no [[inspirational location|memorial]] was created to immortalise his deeds and he largely faded from memory.

Didactylos influenced not only his fellow Urizen but also truthseekers across the Empire. The woman who became Sacharissa of Spider's Vantage began her life in [[Tassato]] as a member of a pioneering [[Technology#Printing press|printing]] guild. Inspired by Didactylos, she left [[the League]] for Urizen, first as a member of Arlspire in Morrow and then as a founder of Spider's Vantage in Redoubt. Where Didactylos believed in word of mouth as the best way to spread the truth, Sacharissa argued that the truth should be written down. Written words would be more readily available to Imperial citizens across the Empire, and harder to misconstrue. Sacharissa is recognised in scholarly circles as a pioneer of the view of history as a record of what happened. Sadly, much of the work done by the Sacharissan school of historians to preserve the truth about the early Empire was lost during the destruction wrought by [[Emperor Nicovar]], but the tradition - the importance of writing down facts about events with as little editorialising as possible - continues to inspire torchbearers to this day.

[[Emperor Nicovar]]'s destruction of the libraries remains the greatest challenge faced by the torchbearers, one that nearly saw the end of their movement. In the early part of his reign, he was a staunch supporter of the torchbearers, using [[The Throne#Hand of the Chancellor|Imperial funds]] to finance their work. When he began to burn the libraries the torchbearers were fundamentally divided in their response. Some denounced Nicovar, and tried to rescue as many respected works of scholarship as possible. This led to several prominent torchbearers - especially Senecassa of Truth's Arrow and Cassius of Thought's River - being effectively martyred, killed by Imperial troops responsible for burning the libraries. An equally vocal faction supported the Emperor however. Atonaius of Truth's Arrow, a confidante of the Emperor, reportedly threw the first torch that ignited the archives at [[Sarvos#Diora University|Diora University]].

In 210YE, after the death of [[Emperor Nicovar]], [[Cardinal]] of [[Wisdom]] Hesther of Cesa's Watch called every prominent torchbearer to [[inquisition]] over their alleged involvement in the excesses of the late [[the Throne|Throne]]. The most active supporters of Nicovar were [[Excommunication|excommunicated]] and several, including Atonaius of Truth's Arrow, were ultimately executed by the [[magistrates]] for their crimes. The reputation of the torchbearers was tarnished for generations as a result, with many assuming the whole movement was "infected" with Nicovar's madness, ready to burn any books that did not live up to their unachievable high standards of scholarship.

Their influence has ebbed and flowed in the years since. "''The darker the night is, the brighter the torch must be''" as one oft-repeated quotation from Sacharissa has it. The need for the torchbearers declines a little when the Empire is at peace. The torchbearers tend to be more active when the Empire is in a time of turmoil, or when its leaders are succumbing to corruption and vice. The wider the separation between Imperial citizens and their senators, cardinals, and generals, the more the Empire needs torchbearers prepared to make a stand.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><box>'''A Philosopher Writes...'''<br>
• Honesty is valuable because it’s the means to achieve desirable things: social cohesion, trade, virtue, love, communication, etc. Lies undermine things that are good (such as trust or friendship), lying has bad long-term consequences.<br>
• Honesty is valuable because we need it to act freely. If someone lies to us then it prevents deliberating for ourselves and acting autonomously. Lies are a form of paternalism, to lie to or deceive someone wrongs them.<br>
• Our nature as humans is as rational beings, to convey false beliefs and intentions prevents people acting upon authentic reasons. Lying, in addition to threatening the goods that come from honesty, also fails to respect the nature of humanity.<br>
• From the above, lying can be resisted as an offence against truth, or as something that undermines trust and reliability, harming valuable relationships.<br>
• Depending upon the position taken above, lying will be always be bad or it will only be bad contingently (e.g. if the consequences do indeed turn out to be bad or the person lied to is rational).</box></div>

==A Light in the Dark==
Every Urizen knows that the truth has profound magical qualities, but the torchbearers embrace this hearth magic more than any of their peers. They strive to be scrupulously honest and enthusiastically evaluate everything they encounter separating what is true from what is imagined or supposed. Some torchbearers take a philosophical approach to truth, arguing it is essential for free will; some are criticised for talking about truth as if it was a virtue, something that can affect the soul; and some take a rationalist approach claiming that truth is essential for the Empire to function effectively.

Torchbearers regularly struggle with the question of what the truth actually is, but at the end of the day it often comes down to personal judgement. Even primary sources such as letters or journals may be biased or misleading. The torchbearer calling is one of constantly evaluating information, weighing it based on its provenance, and how it related to other information. Speculation and hypothesis can be interesting, but they must always be presented as such never as proven facts. One of the first questions a torchbearer is likely to ask when encountering a new piece of information for the first time is "''How can we determine the truth of this?''"

Didactlyan Torchbearers usually focus on current events, and on ensuring that their fellow citizens are well informed about what is going on around them. Where they can't witness events themselves, they try to speak directly to people who did. They are much less concerned about the past, arguing that what matters is to communicate what is happening now to other citizens. While other torchbearers worry about the veracity of a piece of information, Didactlyans prefer to tell everyone and then let people make their own judgements about what is true or false. Because of their desire to engage and inform their fellow citizens, Didactlyans often summarise the basic facts and present them in a dramatic fashion, rather than focusing on creating formal records.

The Sacharissan Torchbearers by contrast focus their efforts on the past, seeking to illuminate and record what actually happened. Finding the truth is always difficult, so they search for primary sources - historical records that provide details of decisions taken as well as journals, letters, accounts and the like - that give insight into what people at the time thought was happening. They are often fascinated by past life visions - as evidenced by the recent excitement around the collected visions of the [[Seer of the Gateway]] - but they advise caution because any testimony is prone to assumptions and bias by the observer. Many torchbearers argue that the role of the guide priest is actually more important than the visionary because the guide can be a dispassionate observer of what takes place, while the visionary is inevitably swept up in what is happening.

The final common group, the Atonaian Torchbearers, concern themselves with separating facts from falsehoods. They often take a dismal view of humanity, arguing that people are naturally untrustworthy and prone to lie. They require corroborating evidence before they will accept anything as fact. They may spend their time comparing records and other primary sources looking for incongruities or inconsistencies, or they may actively seek out new evidence and new testimonies. While most Urizeni believe that the truth will always come out eventually, the Atonaians often take a more pessimistic view, believing that deceit is a corruption that spreads over time. Lies and errors that go unchallenged compound each other until it becomes impossible to tell fact from fiction. The philosophy has a tarnished reputation not only because of the activities of their founders during Nicovar's reign, but also because a handful of Atonaians see their role as the active destruction of anything proven to be false.

Torchbearers sometimes face resistance from citizens who claim that information must be kept hidden for the good of the Empire. Torchbearers find most of these claims to be self-serving when examined in detail. Torchbearers are not fools who want to share the Empire's key secrets with other nations - they understand that sensitive information like ''current'' military strategy should only be spread across Anvil until the strategy has played out. In practice by the time a torchbearer is actually able to widely publish such details, they are no longer sensitive. ('''OOC Note''': Empire has some specific guidelines about secrecy at Anvil which you can find [[Secrecy|here]].)

==Creating a Torchbearer==
This archetype is intended to appeal to people who enjoy finding things out and sharing what they've learned with people. You might be an idealistic reporter, a principled historian, or a dedicated investigator. Torchbearers are always looking for secrets to ferret out, so playing one gives you a reason to poke your nose into every facet of the game. If you're successful, your commitment to revealing the truth will win you the enmity of people who want to control the flow of information for their own ends.

Torchbearer can work with any combination of skills. Didactylos, one of the founders of the movement, was an artisan rather than a magician, while Sacharissa was a publisher first and foremost. The best advice is to think about what area of the game you want to investigate. It's perfectly fine to be a generalist, or an outsider, but if you're interested in exploring the activities of the Synod and the things priests are doing then some [[religious skills]], and knowledge of the Way, makes sense. Likewise, if you're interested in the Conclave then being a [[Magical_skills#Magician|magician]] will allow you access.

The same goes for [[resource|personal resource]] - if you have a [[congregation]] that will grant you membership of the Imperial Synod, which will give you a role in the debates of the day. A personal resource that allows you to pay people for information such as a [[business]], or a set of skills that gives you something to reward your confidants with such as [[apothecary]] or [[Crafting_skills#Artisan|artisan]], can encourage people to keep coming to you with things they find out.

If you are creating a character who is part of a group then it's a good idea to discuss playing a torchbearer with your friends. If you are committed to spreading truths widely then it might lead to conflict with other characters if they are interested in political power or controlling information. If everyone is happy to play with that conflict then this will make the game even more enjoyable for everyone, but some groups prefer to avoid this kind of intra-group friction.

If you're creating a group of torchbearers, then this can help define the nature of your spire. A spire that serves as a public library where people can come and study your collected documents, or one that publishes a newspaper, would both make a great basis for a group of torchbearers. Obviously the group can also include characters with aren't torchbearers, who can play a variety of roles based on the core concept. This could include other archetypes such as a [[mage]] whose idealism synchs well with the torchbearer philosophy, or a [[stargazer]] interested in exploring the magical implications of Truth.

==Playing a Torchbearer==
The core of being a torchbearer is finding out important truths, sharing them with Imperial citizens, and challenging falsehoods. You might spend your time making sure as many people as possible understand what the military council strategy is, so that captains from individual nations can make informed choices. You might be more interested in exposing lies designed to shield people from accusations of corruption or incompetence. Bear in mind that torchbearers are reporters and historians, not gossips. The key is to make sure that the secrets you investigate and reveal are in the public interest - information that might effect the choices other characters make.

Finding things out is only half the job - you also need to make sure people learn about it. If you feel confident, you can follow the model of Didactylos and set up a soap box to declaim what you're found out, or take centre stage in the Conclave to raise a declaration or address. You might be more comfortable sharing the truth in the written medium - pamphlets, posters, or statements of principle in the Synod. You don't need to share the information by yourself - you could take a role as a correspondent for one of the player-run newspapers for example. Alternatively, you might see yourself as a "herald" - making sure that the right people learn the truths you've uncovered and trusting them to do the right thing (this approach is particularly in synch with the [[Net_of_the_Heavens|net of the heavens]]).

It's relatively easy for an Urizen to find out what is going on in Urizen, but the torchbearer's remit extends to the entire Empire. It can be challenging to find out what is going on in other nations - or to get access to the people who need to hear the truths you've uncovered. it's a good idea to try and develop a network of contacts you can go to for information, or who can help you get access to the witnesses or documents you need to do your work. Finding other characters who share your interest in uncovering the truth can be an important early character goal.

Torchbearers who are members of the Synod and Conclave have additional tools at their disposal. An [[Inquisition]] can help uncover corruption, while a [[Statement of Principle]] can be used to announce important information. If the statement receives a [[greater majority]] in the [[General Assembly]] then we will assume that it has been heard right across the Empire which may create an [[opportunity]] for a [[mandate]]. Likewise, a suitable [[declaration]] before the Conclave - perhaps secured with the aid of a [[Grandmaster]] - can be used to spread information to magicians across the Empire.

You don't have to pick one of the three common philosophies (Didactylan, Sacharissa, Antonaian). Each one is intended to focus on one element of the torchbearar philosophy, but as long as you're finding out facts and sharing them with others there's no need to limit yourself to a single approach. There's nothing to stop you changing philosophy even if you do pick one. Whatever you choose, it's worth considering your attitude to these three philosophies however, as your views on them may affect your relations with other torchbearers.

One area of the game that may be interesting to explore as a torchbearer is the militia - the characters who help the NPC [[magistrates]] investigate crimes and prosecute criminals. There's a lot of potential fun in being a detective, but there's also the matter of making sure that justice is not only done but ''seen'' to be done. Reporting on court proceedings, ensuring that evidence is sound, and offering expert testimony are all ways to get involved in this area of the game.

Finally, the best situation you can find yourself in is uncovering or learning something that other people don't want you to share. This gives you a great opportunity to stand up to people who want to hide or bury the truth, and be the whistleblower who exposes a conspiracy. People with secrets to hide should be very worried when they realise a torchbearer is paying attention to them, after all.

==Costume==
While there is no formal torchbearer organization, those who feel a strong affiliation for this philosophy wear a badge, pin, or piece of jewellery in the shape of a lit torch. This allows easy identification of other torchbearers. In keeping with the Urizen aesthetic this might be quite stylised - a common interpretation is a long thin inverted triangle representing the torch, topped with a squat triangle representing the flame.

You know the night

2026-08-01T11:24:41Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:381YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"Wintermark and the Marches were the first I think, oh and the Freeborn ''of course''. But now they've been joined by the Imperial Orcs as far as I can tell." Abigail kept her voice moderate, a mark of respect for her elder that concealed how she was really feeling.

Hiram, the old archivist sighed at the news, though it hadn't been unexpected. "Near half then?".

"I'm afraid so. The Varushkans are utterly unrepentant of course, and the Navarr are hardly a surprise. The Urizen were a close run thing though. If it hadn't been for Zeno..." her voice trailed off as she left the thought in the air.

"Quite. I suppose our Urizeni friends would call them a node." Hiram snorted to himself - "superstitious nonsense - but we should be grateful for small mercies I suppose."

"Yes. But the split is only growing worse. Frankly it seems irredeemable - I genuinely cannot see how she can solve this."

Hiram pondered the implicit question for a while, but like his younger colleague he had no ideas either. He shook his head, "No, and this time there is no messianic figure who we can fortuitously discover later was a committed liar. No easy way out this time."

"Exactly. Coming so soon after the schism, I am genuinely worried that this could actually tear things apart." The younger archivist look genuinely troubled now as if seriously contemplating the possibility of a irrevocable split in the faithful.

"Let us not be alarmist Abigail. The Empire has stood for nearly four hundred years. Once the dust settles, hindsight will show that this is simply another chasm that the Empire has traversed unharmed, just as it always has."

"With respect Hiram... I was reading Pontius' History of the Mad Throne the other day and apparently people felt much the same then too." And with that rather sobering thought she swept out of the scriptorium leaving the older scribe to his books and his thoughts.
</ic>

==Overview==
In Spring 381YE the Varushkans completed the training and equipping needed to [[Raise_Varushkan_army|raise the Iron Helms]]. This army has a long and bloody Imperial history, famed for its cruel tactics and the employment of brutal force in battle. When the army were finally let off the leash in the [[Mournwold]] the results were as effective as they were difficult to stomach for many. The issue has grown increasingly divisive, with three nations backing the bloodthirsty approach to war, and four opposing it.

Increasingly these bitter divisions have begun to impact the ability of the Empire's armies to fight alongside each other. The Assembly of Nine has unequivocally condemned such tactics - but until the General Assembly can make a similar ruling (a [[statement of principle]] with a [[Judgement#Greater_Majority|greater majority]]) it seems unlikely that these new divisions will heal.
<div style="width: 600px; float: right; clear:right;"><quote by="Gralka, Imperial Orc Assembly, Autumn Equinox 381YE, Upheld 36 - 0">
The worth of our armies is not written with cruelty, our legends are not made by harming civilians. We do not need dogs and beasts to fight our wars for us. We are heroes of the Empire, we are Imperial Orcs.</quote></div>

==Imperial Orcs==
There has always been a difficult relationship between the Varushkans and the Imperial Orcs. Of all the lands of the Empire, this is the one where the chains of orc slavery were the heaviest. When the Freeborn reached out to Thrace to bring the Imperial Orcs into the Empire... the Varushkans were the ones who fought to the bitter end to keep them as slaves. Now Gralka has led a greater majority of the Imperial Orc assembly in passing a judgement that contains a clear tone of contempt for the Varushkans and the tactics adopted by the Iron Helms.

The great irony of humanity is that a people who believe that they are reborn over and over again are so afraid of death that some of them will do anything to avoid it. The Varushkans believe that they must be virtuous to be reincarnated yet they debase themselves with cruel tactics and justify steeping their arms in blood by saying its the only way to survive in a harsh world! Every Imperial Orc knows that they have only one life to live - if you are to cross the Howling Abyss then you must make it count. Salvation is to be found by raising yourself up, reaching for a heroic ideal that will inspire the ancestors to aid you and grant you the strength to cross the Abyss when you die. If you choose the path of cruelty... the path of cowardice... then you may live another day - but death will still take you in the end and when it does nothing but oblivion will await you.

To reaffirm this statement the assembly can now pass a mandate urging the legions to show their disdain for the Iron Helms and their cruel ways. If this mandate is enacted by the national assembly, then all the soldiers of the Imperial Orcs will acknowledge the unvirtuous nature of the Iron Helms and show them the disdain they deserve. Wintermark and the Freeborn assemblies have [[Not_dark_yet#At_a_High_Price.2C_But_Not_At_Any_Price|already enacted just such a mandate]], this would place the Imperial Orcs firmly in their camp and against the Helms and their cruel ways.

<quote by="Synod Mandate, national assembly ">The cruelty of the Iron Helms is unvirtuous, it demeans our Empire to use such tactics and it betrays the ideals of our people to fight alongside those who do so. The assembly sends X with 25 doses of liao to urge our soldiers to reject the Iron Helms and their cruelty."</quote>

If this mandate is enacted then for the next year, if the Iron Helms are deployed in a territory alongside an Imperial Orc [[army]], they will suffer a reduction of one tenth in the number of victory points they contribute to that campaign. This bonus is ''cumulative'' for each additional nation (''not'' individual army) that has passed the mandate that are present in the territory. Wintermark, and the Freeborn have already passed the mandate, so if the Imperial Orcs passed it and the Iron Helms were engaged in a territory where there were armies from all three of these nations then the Varushkan army would suffer a penalty of three-tenths to victory points.

===Heroes of the Empire===
The judgement of the Orc Assembly did more than simply scorn the dogs, beasts, and dark magicians of the Iron Helm army - they reminded the Imperial Orcs that the worth of an army is far more than a matter of how many are slain when the battle is ended. They called on every Orc to remember that they are heroes of the Empire. Now there is an opportunity to pass a mandate that would allow the general of the army to seize an opportunity to permanently abandon the traditional brutal tactics adopted by the Summer Storm in favour of something considerably more heroic.

<quote by="Imperial Orc Assembly Mandate">We are the heroes of the Empire. First to battle, last to leave. We will charge into the breech when others stumble. We will hold the line when all others have failed. We send X with 50 doses of liao to urge the Summer Storm to adopt new ways of fighting, ones that truly reflect the spirit of our people.</quote>

If the Imperial Orc assembly enact this mandate, then it will automatically incorporate the effects of the first mandate urging the soldiers of the Imperial Orcs to shun the Iron Helms - but in addition it will permanently change the quality of the Summer Storm from [[Army_qualities#Relentless|relentless]] to [[Army_qualities#Glorious|heroic]]. The army will no longer be able to submit the order to ''cut them down'' but will gain the ability to issue orders to make a ''triumphant charge'' or a ''final stand''.

<box>'''Imperial Orc Mandates'''<br>
While they can benefit from [[aura|auras]], [[orc|orcs]] are [[Orc#Rules_FAQ|entirely unable]] to use [[liao]]; it makes them nauseous. While it is a simple matter for a human priest to [[anointing|anoint]] an orc, or [[consecration|consecrate]] an area for an orc [[preachers|preacher]] to use, this can often prove counterproductive, distracting from the priest's words and rendering the mandate ineffective. Most preachers as a result do things differently. When they need to undertake a mandate, they usually take the liao to a friendly human priest along with important items of [[worth]] - the [[Weigher_of_Worth#The_Halls_of_Worth|Halls of Worth]] in particular have proved valuable in providing such items. The priest can use the liao to [[hallow]] the items, so that the preacher can take them and share them with the orcs to whom they speak. Hallowed items of worth have additional significance for orcs, and when combined with the oratory of the preacher, are just as effective at spreading a mandate as any amount of anointing or consecration.</box>

==Varushka==
Thus far Dawn, Highguard, Navarr and Urizen have all chosen to stand with the Iron Helms and Varushka. Some of these have passed statements of principle in favour of the Varushkan approach, but both the Navarr and the Urizen have been inspired to pass mandates to adopt similar tactics.

But of course the Freeborn can never see a consensus without having to try and stand it on its head. Equally it should come as no surprise that the Imperial Orcs are using this as yet another excuse to criticise. It's a shame that the Marchers and the Wintermarkers are being so high and mighty about the issue, but in fairness these are nations of hunters and farmers who border the Jotun. It's not like either nation has ever been threatened by an enemy who was really trying. As Empress Varkula was fond of pointing out, people are always full of high-minded ideals that usually last right up until the point where the Druj are about to burn your house down.

What is beginning to irk many Varushkans is the way the Iron Helms are being singled out in all this. As if somehow the fact that they are prepared to get their hands dirty when fighting the barbarians was the problem. The Freeborn love to defend their unorthodox ways as important cultural traditions, part of their rich heritage. But of course they're not prepared to accept the idea that the steel from which the Iron Helms are forged is part and parcel of the Varushkan tradition. Ours is a dark land... those who walk the roads come nightfall need more than a torch to see the sunrise.

Perhaps it is time to show the Assembly of Nine and these other nations that they cannot single out the Iron Helms for special treatment any longer. The Iron Helms reflect the ways of the people of Varushka since time immemorial, but there are other traditions, other customs, other ways. If they choose the Varushkan National Assembly could choose to enact the following mandate to encourage the whole nation to remember their roots and to reflect the realities of this hard land.

<quote by="Varushkan Assembly Mandate">Every established nation of the Empire has traditions that go back to the founding and before. Let all our people look to their past, and let our soldiers remember who they are and where they came from. We send X with 50 liao to encourage all Varushkan soldiers to embrace our rich heritage.</quote>

If the Varushkan assembly enact this mandate, then it means that all Varushkan armies will then be affected by the penalties for fighting alongside Wintermark, and the Brass Coast, rather than just the Iron Helms. In effect all the Varushkan armies will make clear to the Empire that they stand together as one nation.

In addition, the soldiers will look to their history for lessons on how to comport themselves. As a result, whoever is general of each army will receive a single opportunity at the following summit to update the [[Army qualities|quality]] of their army to better reflect the rich heritage of the Vard and Ushkan people.

<quote by="Empress Varkula">If you think me cruel, cardinal, that is because I am cruel. Not because of this winter-touched flesh and blood as you have claimed but because I choose to be cruel. Why do I make this choice? I choose to be cruel because when the night grows darkest someone must wield the knife and cut out the heart, so that everyone else may live to see the dawn. I choose to be cruel because someone must carry the burden or none of us will reach our destination. I choose to be cruel, cardinal, because I am strong enough to make that choice. You flatter yourself that you have made the better choice - but you have not. The truth is that you never had a choice.</quote>
==Limited Opportunity==
As with most [[mandate|mandates]], the ones listed here are available only at the Winter Solstice. While it might be possible to get similar mandates at a future event, that would be dependent on the use of an appropriate [[statement of principle]] with a greater majority. There is no guarantee that the same mandates would be relevant at a future summit.
==Resolution==
The Imperial Orc national assembly [[381YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Mandate|unanimously refused]] the opportunity to change the quality of the Summer Storm. The Varushkan assembly passed a mandate to send Bogdan Bogdanovich to encourage all Varushkan soldiers to embrace their rich heritage.

All in red

2026-08-01T11:24:33Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:384YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Trade Winds]]
<ic>With a catastrophic groan, another part of the roof collapsed sending a great swirling tempest of burning embers and black smoke into the night air. Behind him, Barnaby de Tassato heard Captain Flack shouting about the need to damp down the roofs of the adjacent buildings. If they wanted to keep Mestra from being a charred heap come morning, they needed to stop the fire spreading. He'd have gone to help her, but he was currently too busy stopping the curator from running back into the building. For a frail, stick-thin old man he was surprisingly difficult to keep hold of.

"You don't understand!" shouted the old academic. "Avigliana is still in there! She hasn't come out! She's still in the building!"

Barnaby felt his blood go cold, despite the blast-furnace heat. He glanced at the conflagration, and then back to the curator, tears cutting two lines through the ash and dust that covered his face.

"She went back for the Andretti," he wept. "I told her not to but she wouldn't listen and..."

At that moment, a ragged cheer went up from the exhausted bucket line. Two smoking figures exploded out of the main doors, sheltering beneath a burning cloak. Barnaby let go of the curator who stumbled up the stairs towards them, sobbing with relief. The two women were coughing - clothes scorched, hair smouldering - and the brightly coloured coat one of them was wearing was literally on fire.

Barnaby did the only sensible thing he could think of, grabbing a bucket, and hurling a great gout of riverwater over the two survivors. It didn't quite have the effect he was expecting - it put out the fires but then one of the women turned to the other and thumped her square in the face. She went sprawling, and her attacker immediately jumped on her. They rolled down the stairs into the startled bucket chain, wrestling and punching.

The curator and the bravo were forced to pull the brawling women apart. One of them clouted Barnaby in the side of the head in the process, but he managed to keep hold of her.

"What are you doing, Avi?" asked the startled curator, his arms wrapped around the other woman, holding her back. Her eyes were blazed with a fury fit to put the inferno behind them to shame. Before she could answer, the old man did a surprised double-take as he glanced across at Barnaby's prisoner. "Wait, who is this person? They aren't staff!"

"She's one of ''them''!" snarled Avi, "One of the people who did this. Don't... don't let her get away."

Without warning the woman smacked her head back into Barnaby's face. He struggled to keep hold of her, they tussled, and suddenly she was free. She ran toward the river. Barnaby took two steps after her and then suddenly stopped, frowning. He sat down suddenly on the bottom stair. Avigliana tried to shout for help but was overcome by a bout of coughing.

The curator however pointed one pencil-thin finger after the fleeing woman and bellowed "STOP HER!" in a voice that would have done a Mestran street trader credit. She went down under a mass of bodies, still desperately struggling to get away and shouting something about justice being served.

Sitting on the bottom stair, Barnaby touched his side and then stared stupidly at his fingers.

"I think I've been stabbed." He said to nobody in particular. "She stabbed me. Why did she stab me?"

As he slumped sideways, as one of the attending physics ran over and knelt beside him, his ears filled up with the roar and crack of the flames as they consumed the museum. Yet no matter how thunderous that roar, he could also hear the old curator, alternating between berating Avigliana for being so stupid, praising her for capturing one of the fire starters, and enquiring as to whether in all the excitement she'd managed to save the Andretti or not. </ic>
<div style="float:left; width: 400px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Erasmo di Tassato.png|caption=The current [[Ambassador to Faraden]] is '''Erasmo di Tassato'''.|align=left|width=400}}</div>
==Overview==
{{Audio|link=https://youtu.be/2YrytORl9cg}}
Over the last few years relations with the [[Faraden]], whose nation lies to the west of the Empire, have been fraught with complication and misunderstanding. A mercantile people, the Faraden have always been keen on trading with their Imperial neighbours but repeated incidents around their peculiar religion have stymied closer ties at every turn.

While many of the powerful families that control the nation respect the aid Imperial citizens have given them - such as when they [[379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Dawn|helped to fight the Jotun]], or to [[Through_my_sails#The_Gloaming_Blight|remove the effects of a terrible blight]] destroying their iridescent gloaming crops - there are others who harbour a terrible grudge against the Empire. The Ogudai warriors have never forgiven the Imperial Synod for damage sustained by one of their beloved scions when he experienced a [[liao#Imperial Liao|true liao]] vision. The Tsagaan family priests swore to exact revenge against those responsible for the execution of the Honradez sisters of the Brass Coast after they converted to the blasphemous practices of vengeance. And of course the Modnos have been waging a vendetta against those they hold responsible for defaming the name of one of their great heroes, Genghis Modnos.

In the wake of the Spring Equinox, it seems that things have come to a head, and the Imperial [[Ambassador to Faraden]] (who is currently '''Erasmo di Tassato''' of the League) may have their work cut out for them.

==Moonwater Hall==
* '''Moonwater Hall in Upwold has been abrogated by the Imperial Senate'''
* '''The great work no longer provides benefits to the farms and businesses of Upwold'''
* '''The Court of Five Winds requests recompense for the losses suffered by the families who helped build Moonwater Hall'''
During the Spring Equinox the Imperial Senate chose to abrogate [[Upwold#Moonwater_Hall_.28ruins.29|Moonwater Hall]] in [[Upwold]]. [[Construct_trade_hub_in_Upwold|Constructed]] in Summer 381YE, the hall served as a trade nexus for Faraden merchants keen to purchase [[the Marches|Marcher]] food and drink, and provided a home base for them to explore trade links with the western Imperial nations. Allegedly without any word of warning, the trade hub was closed by the Empire. The Faraden merchants were very much taken by surprise - there was a great deal of unhappiness but little they could do in the face of the magistrates and Marcher militia. They requested a week to put their affairs in order, which was duly granted by the magistrate as a show of good faith. A small number of Faraden have remained in the vicinity to ensure that the returning merchants already busy in the western Empire are informed what has happened and that they are effectively no longer welcome in the Empire.

In keeping with the abrogation, most of the buildings that made up Moonwater Hall have now been torn down, leaving nowhere for the Faraden to congregate. The merchants who had been living in and trading from the Hall are not shy about expressing their unhappiness with the way they have been treated. Their Pride has been affronted. Dealing with them so summarily, rather than making any effort to discuss whatever problems it was they had with Moonwater Hall, reinforces their perception that the Empire treats the western nation with contempt.

''"If the Empire was truly concerned about the fact Faraden merchants continued to follow their religion while in the Empire,"'' opined Arban Tuvalk, the newly appointed head of the Faraden embassy in Segura, ''"then perhaps they should have raised these concerns at the time, or made their concerns apparent to us through diplomatic channels. That is after all what diplomatic channels are for."''

Arban also brings a request from the Court of Five Winds. When Moonwater Hall was constructed, several Faraden families pooled their funds to provide 20 wains of white granite and 20 crowns toward the project. By summarily dismantling the trade hub the Empire has ruined their investment. Regardless of what the Modnos family may have done, the Imperial Senate owes the Faraden families recompense for the loss of their investment; they have asked the [[Ambassador to Faraden]] to arrange repayment in short order.

==Fire in the Night==
* '''Spider's Vantage Spire and the Blood Red River Museum have been the target of arson attacks'''
* '''The arsonists have been captured but are refusing to cooperate with Imperial law'''
Six weeks after the demolition of Moonwater Hall, there are two major incidents that are quickly traced to Faraden arsonists. In [[the League]] city of [[Tassato]] the [[Tassato#The_Blood_Red_River_Museum|Blood Red River Museum]] is badly damaged, while on the opposite side of the Empire in [[Redoubt]], the Spider's Vantage Spire is nearly gutted by a conflagration that destroys their printing press and warehouses. There is, fortunately, no loss of life. The museum was fired during the night, and the only injuries were smoke inhalation and some burns among the patrolling guards. Likewise the attack on Spider's Vantage took place while the spiremates were sharing a large communal meal with the Faraden merchants visiting their spire. While they initially appear unrelated, it quickly becomes clear that the fires were set by members of the Modnos family as part of their ongoing vendetta against certain Imperial citizens.

After initial investigations, the magistrates arrest and charge five Faraden - two in Redoubt and three in Tassato. None of them try to deny the charges, and no attempt to conceal their identity as members of the Modnos family of Faraden. In both cases the arsonists show no remorse - indeed they seem proud of their success. One expresses a regret that they were only able to damage the Blood Red River Museum, rather than burning the entire building down. As far as they are concerned these attacks were "blessed" - retribution against people who had propagated lies against the Modnos family

In both cases significant fines are assessed against the perpetrators - fines the criminals categorically refuse to pay. Under Imperial law, when a criminal refuses to pay a fine, the magistrates escalate the punishment. In this case, it is likely the five Faraden will be executed. They seem resigned to this fate - indeed they express the belief that dying in such a fashion will speed their escape from the Howling Wastes that lie beyond life, and ensure their swift reincarnation in the next generation of their family.

They also appear to believe that dying as martyrs for the Faraden faith may inspire others to hold the Empire to account for the crimes it commits against their people. Making martyrs of the Modnos cannot help but secure support for their cause, and may lead to more reprisals against the Empire - perhaps even aimed at the magistrates. Allowing the criminals to return to Faraden without paying their fines, however, will undermine faith in Imperial law and risks sending a message to any other heretics or blasphemers connected to the malign spiritual power of Vengeance that their wicked ways are in some way acceptable.

At this time it seems inevitable that the five Modnos will be executed but the magistrates of Tassato and Redoubt are aware of the sensitive nature of the situation. '''Chief Magistrate Stanislav Karkovich''' has been approached by the local magistrates for advice, and will deliver his response after the Summer Solstice after the situation has been discussed at the forthcoming summit. Anyone wishing to discuss the matter with him will usually be able to find him at the militia tent near the hub.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><box><big>'''OOC Note'''</big><br>If you are interested in collecting the bounty on Lord Colwynn's heart, please secure the assistance of a referee before undertaking this kind of player-versus-player conflict. Removing the heart would require a minute or so of [[appropriate roleplaying]] with the body. The referee will be able to provide you with a ribbon for the heart, which you should attach to a suitable phys-rep and keep in an in-character area until it is placed in an Ephisis box.'''</box></div>
===The Modnos===
* '''The Modnos family of Faraden are behind the fires as part of their ongoing vendetta'''
* '''The bounty on the heads of Livia of the Celestial Cascade and Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato has been removed'''
* '''The bounty on the head of Lord Colwynn de Rondell has been increased'''
In the weeks following the arson attacks, the Modnos family of Faraden let it be known that they consider their vendetta against '''Livia of the Spire of Celestial Cascade''' and '''Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato''' to be satisfied. They have destroyed the spire that published the offending books written by the [[Seer of the Gateway]], and they have struck against a place they believe to be close to the heart of the [[Cardinal of Pride]]. As such the [[Small_but_nearby#An_Unpleasant_Altercation|price placed on the hearts]] of these two Imperial citizens have been rescinded. Their anger at '''Colwynn de Rondell''' however remains undiminished. Indeed, they have let it be known that if the heart of the Dawnish lord is placed in a box and then dispatched to the City of Gold and Lead with the [[Ephisis' Scale]] ritual, the return box will contain 30 Thrones.

===The Rest of Faraden===
* '''The Modnos have been openly criticised in Faraden for these attacks'''
While the Modnos and their allies may be feeling vindicated, the rest of their nation appears significantly less impressed. In particular the decision to attack the Blood Red River Museum has been criticised. Attacking a place clearly dedicated to the [[Pride]] of the League people as a way of punishing someone only peripherally connected to it is seen in many quarters as being excessive - perhaps even unvirtuous. One merchant visiting Tassato, angry at having been caught up in the investigation following the attack, expressed outrage and sorrow that the actions of the Modnos "fanatics" were making it impossible for honest Faraden merchants to trade with the Empire without constant suspicion.

Further criticism comes from an unexpected source - a number of the priest families have condemned those who supported and encouraged the Modnos - especially those of the Tsagaan family. ''"There are five winds,"'' begins one particularly damning statement. ''"and they are each important to the life of the spirit. It seems there are some who would place Justice above the other four, and it is high time we decried these zealots!"''

There has been no move to directly censure the Modnos family - not yet - but their actions have clearly fed into the unhappiness of those who believe the former Court of the Five Winds has mismanaged the Faraden relationship with the Empire.

===Fire in the Museum===
* '''The Blood Red River Museum will not provide any benefits to congregations in Tassato until repaired'''
* '''Repairing the museum is a commission that costs 5 wains of weirwood, 5 wains of white granite, and 50 crowns. It will take three months to complete.'''
* '''Alternatively the museum could be rebuilt on a much grander scale at the cost of 15 wains of weirwood, 15 wains of white granite, and 150 crowns. It will take three months to complete.'''
* '''Expanding the museum is also an option'''
[[Construct_Art_Museum_of_Tassato|Commissioned]] by Cesare Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato, paid for by the Bloody Butchers Guild of [[Temeschwar]], this grand art museum stands on the western bank of the Vassa. Without the proximity to the river, and the quick response of the local guilds, it's likely the entire place would have been consumed. As it is fire has gutted one of the wings, and seriously damaged the beautiful friezes in the entrance hall. Several priceless works of art have been damaged or destroyed by the flames, along with historical artefacts relevant to the history of the city, the League, and the Empire itself. The curators of the museum are absolutely livid - some of the relics and artworks were centuries old and purchased at significant expense.

Repairing the museum would require a Senate motion, 5 wains of weirwood, 5 wains of white granite, and 50 Crowns for labour and replacing or repairing damaged artwork and relics. Work will take three months to complete, and until it is finished the museum will not provide the [[great work]] benefits it had been giving to congregations whose priests preached [[Pride]].

This being the League, there is another proposal of course. For the [[More_love,_less_paperwork#Blood_Red_Recognition|last couple of years]] there have been those who argued the museum (along with several other structures overseen by ''[[Lorenzo%27s_Legacy|la Volpe]]'' is as much a monument to the [[Ambition]], [[Loyalty]], and [[Prosperity]] of the League and the people of Tassato in particular. They suggest that the attack presents an opportunity to build on the foundations laid by the late Lorenzo Macelliao von Temeschwar and create something larger and more impressive that makes clear the defiance of the people of the League against any who would attack them. This would also require a Senate motion of course, requiring at total of 15 wains of weirwood, 15 wains of white granite, 150 crowns for labour and art, take three months to complete, and create the [[Imperial title]] of ''Curator of the Blood Red River''. At the end of this time the [[great work]] would provide 20 liao and 40 votes, either spread among the Pride congregations in Tassato or else spread between all of them, regardless of which virtue they preach. It will also and provide the Curator personally with 8 liao and 16 votes in the Synod. The new structure, incidentally, would also count as a suitable structure for the [[A_health_to_the_company#The_Chair_of_the_Wolf|Chair of the Wolf]] challenge.

There is no requirement to repair the wrecked building, of course. Real estate is very much in demand in Tassato however, and if the motion has not been passed by the end of the Autumn Equinox 384YE, the building will likely have been claimed by other interests and this opportunity to repair or expand it will have been lost.

===Burning Books===
* '''The damage to Spider's Vantage prevents widespread dissemination of the Echoes of the Labyrinth'''
Spider's Vantage is a spire in Redoubt concerned with writing and publishing books. The fire took place while most of the inhabitants were at a large communal meal with a group of visiting Faraden merchants - a caravan from Moonwater Hall that had endured the long journey to the south-eastern corner of the Empire in search of magical goods, fine silks, and iridescent gloaming. They were visiting Spider's Vantage with an eye towards securing "exotic" Imperial writings to sell to collectors back in Faraden. It seems that most of the merchants involved were as oblivious to the arsonist's plan as their hosts - indeed several of them sustained serious burns helping the Urizen to fight the flames. When the truth came out - that the Modnos agents had used their journey to Urizen to provide cover for their attack - most appeared genuinely horrified.

The damage to the printing press and the warehouses at Spider's Vantage Spire has brought the [[Seer_of_the_Gateway#Publication|publication]] of ''Echoes of the Labyrinth'' to a grinding halt. Currently the Imperial Senate pays 10 Thrones each season to allow the torchbearers of Spider's Vantage to publish and distribute these volumes detailing the past life visions of Imperial citizens not only across the Empire but throughout the known world. Without their presses, the torchbearers are unable to keep up their obligation to do so.

Securing a new press, and repairing the damage to the spire, their work area, and their storage houses will take time and money. The torchbearers are not asking for hand-outs - their understanding of [[Prosperity]] means they intend to deal with the situation themselves. They will be able to continue printing small numbers of the books, but regretfully predict it will be some six months before they are able to start widespread production again.

The Senate has several opportunities. They could continue to support Spider's Vantage; the money assigned to disseminate the volumes will be used to provide additional security and resources for the repairs. They could further amend their previous motion to [[Disseminate True Liao visions]], charging the civil service with negotiating with the printing houses of Tassato and Sarvos to do the work. The cost to the treasury would not change, it would be much harder for anyone to interfere with the publication, and it would mean that publication and dissemination of Echoes of the Labyrinth would continue uninterrupted.

Obviously they might also [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Abrogation|abrogate]] their earlier motion and stop paying for the dissemination of the Echoes of the Labyrinth. The [[Seer of the Gateway]] could continue to produce their own volumes, but they would no longer be spread through the Empire or to foreign nations.

==Change Comes Suddenly==
* '''A month before the Summer Solstice the government of Faraden is replaced in a coup'''
Few can really say they saw the coup coming. Three weeks before the Summer Solstice, the Lady of the Five Winds was challenged and deposed by the Ganbatar merchant family. The head of the family - Tchinua Ganbatar - has taken the Seat of Five Winds. They have eschewed both the titles of Lord and Lady, and chosen the less commonly used title of ''Liege of the Five Winds''. It's too soon to say exactly what this change in the Court portends for the Empire. There is some information available to the Empire. The newly appointed Faraden ambassador to the Empire - Arban Tuvalk - has arrived at the [[Segura#The_Faraden_Embassy|embassy]] in [[Segura]] with letters from the new Liege. It seems ''Lady Saretta of the Red Moon'' has been replaced as the primary diplomatic advisor to the Court of the Five Winds by ''Mistress Singua Karadragha''. She intends to send a diplomatic envoy to the Empire during the Autumn Equinox empowered to negotiate on behalf of the Court of Five Winds to properly discuss the Liberty Pact, the cessation of [[sanctions]] against Faraden merchants, and Imperial attitudes to the religious beliefs of Faraden visiting the Empire.

By all accounts the coup was almost entirely bloodless, and backed by a significant majority of families - including the influential Tuvalk, Karadragha, and Gantulga. Repeated failures of the Court of the Five Winds to resolve the diplomatic situation with the Empire were cited by supporters of the coup, with the final straws being the loss of Moonwater Hall and the reckless actions of the Modnos. The main opposition has come from the anti-Imperial faction led by the Ogudai, the Tsagaan, and the Modnos. Through a combination of intrigue, diplomacy, and outright bribes it seems their wider support has been scythed away leaving the families with little choice but to tow the line the new Liege of the Five Winds has laid down. The Ogudai in particular have suffered considerable loss of status - skewered by Liege Ganbatar for their ill-considered vendetta against a nation that has shown willingness to support the Faraden military against the Jotun and Lasambrian orcs in the past.

It appears the Ganbatar coup has been successful in part due to the support of a number of Faraden's priestly families. While the Imperial Synod arguably focuses much of its attention on the blasphemy of Justice, or the heresy of denying Vigilance, Wisdom, and Ambition, it is easy to forget that there is a great deal more to the Faraden religion than this. It seems that some of the priestly families have taken a similar stance - chastising families such as the Tsagaan for focusing overmuch on a single aspect of the faith. While Faraden are encouraged to seek justice, they are also encouraged to be proud, courageous, loyal, and prosperous. There is apparently anger among many Faraden priests that so many Faraden missionaries have emphasised a single aspect of the faith over all others, and in doing so arguably undercut the prosperous and the proud citizens of the nation in pursuit of some ideologically motivated desire to "convert" the Empire. ''"We do not want their priests to come here and tell us we are wrong,"'' the head of the Entalamanta family is reported to have said. ''"Why should we imagine they would welcome us going to their Empire and telling them ''they'' are wrong?"''

==Game Information==
We've updated the "contact details" for the Ambassador to Faraden so that [[Call Winged Messenger|winged messengers]] can be sent to Mistress Singua. The [[Ambassador#Briefing|Ambassador's briefing]] may contain more up-to-date information about the situation at the Court of Five Winds.
==Further Reading==
* [[Faraden]]
* [[Upwold#Moonwater_Hall_.28ruins.29|Moonwater Hall]]
* [[Abrogate Moonwater Hall]] - the Senate motion to abrogate the trading hub
* [[384YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_fortune#Western_Smugglers|Western smugglers]] - an update about the situation with the Faraden/Imperial smuggling ring operating in the western Empire

Good Walder

2026-08-01T11:24:19Z

GuiltyConscience:

<quote by="Good Walder and the Bandit, traditional">He raises up his gnarled old hand
And blesses all the friendly fields

Then raises up his gnarled old club
And beats the robber 'til he yields.</quote>

==Virtue==
Good Walder was recognised as a [[Paragon]] of [[Prosperity]] in the reign of the First Empress, during the period when a number of [[The_Marches_religious_beliefs#Monks_and_Friars|friars]] took a pilgrimage to [[Bastion]] and returned to build the first monasteries in [[Mitwold]].

==Biography==
Good Walder exists primarily in stories. His tales have been told in [[the Marches]] since the foundation of the Empire, and many can be traced back to the first decades after their departure from Dawn. Today these stories are known throughout the Empire, often with a particular spin appropriate to the nation where they are told. As the stories of Good Walder spread through the early Empire, so the wealth of the Marches grew. [[Urizen]] historians suggest that this is coincidence - as the Empire was consolidated the markets for Marcher food expanded. On the other hand, some priests are equally adamant that as reverence for Good Walder and his lessons of virtuous reward spread far and wide, the fields of the virtuous began to return bumper crops. In the modern Empire, the image of a smiling man with a sack of fruit and corn, and fat money pouch, leaning on a stout cudgel, is a common symbol for Prosperity.

All the stories have common elements.

The stories agree that Good Walder was an itinerant Marcher with a profound connection to the virtue of [[Prosperity]] - even before the virtue was recognised by the formation of the [[Synod]]. Accounts vary as to the nature of this bluff, good-natured traveller. In some stories he is a travelling merchant or pedlar, in others he is a pilgrim seeking spiritual truth, in yet others he is simply a restless man prone to hearing the siren call of the road and the horizon.

Most stories follow a similar pattern. Good Walder comes upon a village - usually either during the early Spring planting, or in Autumn before the harvest is due to be gathered - and speaks to the residents. Sometimes he comes in the guise of a traveling labourer, looking for work. If he judges these people to be good and virtuous, their fields flourish, their labours succeed and they know health and happiness. If he finds them small-hearted and miserly, a misfortune befalls them that exposes their laziness or greed, often at the hands of Good Walder himself - and his oaken club.

In earlier tales, especially, Walder presents himself to a village as a stranger, usually a mendicant or pedlar looking to exchange labour for food and a night's lodgings. If he finds folk who are willing to offer work and share their prosperity with an outsider, he leaves behind gifts when he departs. Later stories can be identified as those in which the village folk already know of the legend of Good Walder and are therefore encouraged to demonstrate their virtue either for virtue's sake or for fear or the consequences.

There is almost always one character in each of these stories who mistreats the stranger either by demonstrating miserliness or meanness of character, by tricking Walder, by trying to steal from him. Worst are those who take advantage of his hard work and then refusing to feed and lodge him - denying him the reward earned by his hard work. In most tales, Good Walder takes the matter into his own hands and the unvirtuous are thoroughly beaten with Walder's oaken club. Despite his apparently innocuous appearance, he is described as having supernatural strength and paranormal prowess with his cudgel, arising as a result of his virtuous commitment to Prosperity.

Some variants often have these characters suffer mishaps which lead to their penury and ruin and place them at the mercy of the virtuous among their fellows, rather than being punished directly by Good Walder. These later stories fall in and out of favour - they are sometimes criticised for suggesting that some nebulous concept of Virtue or universal fairness, rather than the actions of folk, punish the wicked and exalt the virtuous. Others point out that the bounteous harvests that reward those who recognise hard work and the importance of rewards being shared by all who have earned them (and the misfortunes suffered by the wicked), are ''miraculous'' rather than heretical.

There are also a few darkly comedic tales in which Good Walder chastises those who try to offer him charity. He rarely uses his club to do so, and the most common (especially popular in the Brass Coast and League) revolve around a disguised Good Walder accepting the charity and then refusing to move on, becoming increasingly indolent and demanding until the charitable soul sees the folly of giving unearned rewards to the undeserving.

While Good Walder is usually presented as a human man, there are a few variants in which Good Walder is presented as female. Scholars suggest that these stories likely represent a different individual whose tales were accidentally combined with those of Good Walder - indeed an analysis of the earliest stories reveals key elements that suggest that this version of Good Walder is actually a [[Navarr]] [[Navarr_economic_interests#Brokers|broker]].

There is also one story, not held to be canonical, where Good Walder arrives at a village appearing to be of [[briar]] [[lineage]] and punishes the residents for their lack of hospitality - refusing to allow him to work in their fields. This story is considered borderline heretical, and those who tell it are considered suspect especially in the wake of the [[Freedom Heresy]].

<div style="float:right; width: 350px;"><quote by="Walder, Highborn poem from First Century YE">
Amongst the fields and meadows,<br>
Down the shady lanes of spring,<br>
Comes a walking old Good Walder,<br>
Prosperity for to bring.<br>
<br>
When I found him by my village,<br>
Sat on't ground beneath a tree.<br>
He was quietly contemplating<br>
The activities of a bee.<br>
<br>
The little creature moved about<br>
Through the blossoms of the tree,<br>
Never halting, never ceasing,<br>
Gath'ring nectar for his fee.<br>
<br>
I took a seat beside him<br>
And I said "good day to thee."<br>
He smiled and he nodded,<br>
And he pointed to the bee.<br>
<br>
"See him work his little wings off,"<br>
"For to prosper kin and tree."<br>
"He'll get his fair portion mind,"<br>
"That's the way of things, you see?"<br>
<br>
I nodded and I asked him,<br>
"Will you join me at the plough?"<br>
He nodded and we stood and<br>
Worked the day through, and how.<br>
<br>
That night we took him in<br>
Fed and watered him as we<br>
An'so he had his portion<br>
Just like the little bee.<br>
<br>
As harvest came upon us,<br>
Down the lane Walder had gone.<br>
But the crops were full and bounteous,<br>
Our prosperity was won.</quote></div>

==Signs==
The Assembly of Prosperity cited the following signs as proof that Good Walder was a paragon.
* There is no doubt that Good Walder is a virtuous '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Inspiration|Inspiration]]'''. He teaches that hard work deserves reward, and that all those who take part in the work deserve a share of the rewards. Likewise, he demonstrates that the lazy and the greedy merit punishment, and these two tenets are seen as central parts of the Imperial understanding of Prosperity underlining both "''The Prosperous are not selfish; all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it.''" and "''Despise ... those who take without giving.''"
* The travels of Good Walder from village to village, rewarding the virtuous and punishing the wicked, are held as a spiritual '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Pilgrimage|Pilgrimage]]''' of Prosperity that culminates in his visit to [[Bastion]] - although there are few reliable reports of Good Walder's activities outside the Marches they do exist.
* Both the encouragement to share rewards equally with all who have worked for them, and the swelling of harvests which accompany Walder's visits to the virtuous, are a recognised sign of the Paragon's '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Benevolence|Benevolence]]'''.
* Walder's punishment of those who thieve and hoard often result in those people seeing the error of their ways (after a deserved and thorough beating) and thus they provide '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Salvation|Salvation]]''' to those unvirtuous individuals.
* Several priests of Prosperity to carry an oaken club, in recognition of the weapon associated with Good Walder that is his '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Legacy|Legacy]]'''. What was believed to be his original club - a stout shillelagh that delivered punishing blows to the undeserving and the greedy - is currently unaccounted for; it disappeared in 142YE along with Naeve Farwatcher, the Navarr Cardinal of Prosperity at the time, who is believed to have lost her life to brigands somewhere in southern [[Kallavesa]].
* Good Walder's presence swells harvests for the virtuous, and brings misfortune to the wicked in a fashion widely held to be '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Miracles|Miraculous]]'''. There are also stories of other supernatural rewards bestowed by Good Walder - in some tales he also cures an illness or debilitation for those who treat him fairly.
* There have been no recorded visions of Walder's life through his own eyes. Several stories end with a suggestion that after a particularly important lesson, Good Walder takes a secret road "out of the world, where he walks still" which seems to be a metaphor for some sort of bodily ascension. Either way, the sign of '''[[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Liberation|Liberation]]''' is assigned to him,

==Good Walder in Play==
At his core, Good Walder teaches the importance of hard work, but also the importance of ensuring the deserving receive the rewards for that hard work. Stories of Good Walder sometimes have a scurrilous undercurrent - they include suspicion of "bosses" who employ others and do not give them fair wages. There are several more modern stories that are thinly veiled critiques of [[the League]] and [[Dawn]] where a privileged few can sometimes be seen as exploiting those who work for, rather than alongside, their leaders. As such his stories are told less often in these nations - and in [[Urizen]] where the basic concepts of agricultural labour for fair payment are somewhat alien to the national mentality.

While Good Walder is most popular in the Marches he is known and respected throughout the Empire. It is common to hear a story with obvious Marcher roots re-imagined to make it more relevant to people of another nation. Some of these stories focus less on the importance of rewarding hard work, and more on the importance of concepts of hospitality - especially in Wintermark, Varushka, and [[the Brass Coast]]. The latter often involve the itinerant Good Walder earning a place at a family table with hard work, during which he provides a valuable piece of gossip or wisdom that leads to profit for the family who has welcomed him.
===Good Walder's Orchard===
In the [[Mitwold#Golden_Downs|Golden Downs]], just south of the town of [[Mitwold#Hay|Hay]] in Mitwold, near the Mourn border, there's an [[Keeper of the Orchard#Good Walder's Orchard|old stand of trees]], mostly apples. There's been a local legend, an old story, an old [[The_Marches_magical_traditions#Mummers|mummers']] tale, that maybe the biggest and oldest apple tree of the lot of them marks the grave of Good Walder. Certainly the local [[The_Marches_religious_beliefs#Monks_and_Friars|friars]], have always claimed it was though to be fair dozens of villages across the Marches have a stand of trees that allegedly marks the grave of the paragon. The [[Keeper of the Orchard]] is responsible for overseeing and protecting this important site of pilgrimage.
===Orders===
Three significant orders have been dedicated to the legacy of Good Walder in the course of Imperial History. [[Imperial_sodality|Sodalities]] that take Good Walder as a patron generally cooperate with one another, focusing their attention on encouraging Prosperity, hard work, and recognition of deserved rewards rather than on rivalry with each other. They tend to have very loose organisation, even for religious sodalities, and these orders lack any complex hierarchies - one becomes a member by taking part in the behaviour promoted by the sodality and eventually being recognised by other members.

The '''Fellows of the Stout Stick''' focus principally on dishing out punishments - direct or otherwise - to those who are deemed undeserving. [[Testimony]], and the occasional [[Excommunication]], are seen as valuable tools in their arsenal. They are also quick to employ traditional Marcher practices of [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Rough_music|rough music]] and [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Shunning|shunning]], and the Imperial Synod power of [[Condemnation]] to expose the lazy, the miserly, and those who steal the hard work of others. Their common symbol is a stout cudgel.

The '''Order of the Sack''' by contrast see a sacred responsibility in ensuring the good deeds of the virtuous are recognised and rewarded. They use skills such as [[Testimony]], [[Hallow]], [[Anointing]], and [[Consecration]], though use of the Synod power of [[Rewarding]] is also popular for obvious reasons. Another method of recognition and reward - especially popular among [[Wintermark]] and [[Dawn|Dawnish]] adherents - is the creation and performance of songs or stories that praise prosperous deeds. Some members are also magicians - they may supplement either or both of these methods with ritual [[enchantment|enchantments]]. Their common symbol is a sack overflowing with fruit, vegetables, and coins.

The '''Virtuous List''' tended to be more scholarly and are fewer in number than the other two sodalities. These dedicated priests are primarily responsible for testing the faithful to determine their virtue through observation, gathering evidence, and guile. Of the three guile is the most popular - turning up in a village as a stranger and seeing how one is treated, much as Good Walder once did. The Virtuous Lists were vastly reduced in number in the years following the reign of [[Emperor Nicovar]] and have never really recovered - some point to opposition from the Vigilance assembly as a key factor in the decline of the Virtuous List.
===Further Reading===
* [[Keeper of the Orchard]]
<br>
<small>Highborn poem by Oliver Godby</small>
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Inspirations]]
[[Category:The Marches]]

Imperial Orcs history

2026-08-01T11:24:06Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:History]]
==Slavery==
The Imperial Orcs began as slaves. By the time the [[First Empress]] was putting her Empire together, generations of orcs had been born, lived and died as slaves to the human nations. Slaves were rare in Navarr and Urizen, because they had little use for them, and in the Brass Coast because slavery was an abomination to many. However it was commonplace ''everywhere'' else in the Empire; just as it was common for humans to labour as slaves in the lands the Orcs controlled. For the forerunners of the Imperial Orcs the founding of the Empire swelled their numbers as more Orc nations were conquered but it brought no respite from their toil.

Orc children were traded like livestock. The old and the weak were left to starve. Thoughtless cruelty was commonplace. The most common attitude of slave owners was that orcs were lucky to be alive, the only alternative they saw was death for those who resisted the expansion of the Empire. Those orcs who escaped captivity were simply never seen again, unless they were hunted down and brought back to the camps to face execution as a warning to the others.

Orcs taken as slaves were deliberately separated from their families to make them easier to handle. The result was that the orcs had lost all sense of identity, stripped of their tribal heritage by generations of slavery. As a result when an orc managed to escape, they made no effort to rescue anyone else.
{{CaptionedImage|file=IrontideRad.jpg|align=right|caption=The orcs fought with the weapons and armour they could salvage.|title=Imperial orcs today still wield weapons and armour salvaged by their grandparents' generation|width=400}}
==The Uprising==
The uprising began in Varushka with the legendary orc warlord Thrace. Young, confident and strong-willed, he saw something that no previous orc slave had seen. The other orc slaves were not strangers, they were part of his legion - his nation. Through force of will and physical might, he bound his fellows together. He engineered a collapse in the mine allowing the entire legion to escape as one. A single escape was not enough for Thrace and his legion - they had decided that all the slaves kept by the Empire were their people, and they set out to free as many of their nation as they could.

Thrace's legion began raiding nearby slave enclosures, freeing other orc slaves and appropriating weapons and food for their growing band. Wherever Thrace's legion went, they offered the slaves they liberated a simple choice. Join our legion and come with us, or stay by yourselves and try to make it alone. The majority chose to join the legion, and their numbers quickly grew. Throughout the Summer there were numerous battles with Varushkan troops sent to deal with the uprising, but the results were indecisive and with winter closing in, the Varushkans were forced to abandon the pursuit.

By this time the legion had grown so large that Thrace was forced to split his forces in three to allow them to survive the winter. They spent the cold months practising with the armour and weaponry they had captured. Messengers were sent to the orc nations, to seek aid, but they were bloodily rebuffed. If anything, the barbarian orcs seemed to hate the liberated slaves even more than the humans. From surviving emissaries, the news trickled back that no escaped orc slave had ever been accepted among the barbarians; those few who had survived the arduous trek to the lands claimed by the barbarians, and those slaves in territories that had fallen to the barbarians, were simply killed. In recent years there has been some speculation that this perception may have been intentionally encouraged by Imperial humans, rather than based on fact. The truth will probably never be known.

With the first thaws of spring, the Imperial army tried to catch the orcs in a decisive engagement, but Thrace and his warlords resisted. The Imperial generals called in reinforcements, and finally they managed to corner the orc force with no opportunity for escape. The orcs still had the advantage of numbers, but they had only a fraction of the weapons, armour and training of their enemies and it was clear that defeat was certain without a miracle of some kind. Determined not to allow the uprising to be crushed, the legion sent the best warriors out in small groups in the night with orders to slip past the Varushkan armies and carry the uprising to all the lands of the Empire. To give them cover to make their escape, Thrace led the legion in a surprise attack against the encamped Varushkan armies near [[Karov#Skoremujac|Kolvy]] in [[Karov]].

Woefully under-equipped compared to the Imperial troops, the legion managed to keep the Varushkans busy until late in the day. They fought valiantly, desperately, but they were no match for the massed might of two imperial armies. It is widely believed that Thrace died in the engagement with the Imperial armies. To date no Imperial Orc can claim reliably to have heard his voice and some believe this means he is not actually dead. It seems unlikely that he is alive, but equally unlikely that such a pivotal figure would not have [[Imperial Orcs religious beliefs#Becoming an Ancestors|become an ancestor]] after death.

The Empire crushed the slaves and on the orders of the Varushkan generals no prisoners were taken. Every orc not killed in the battle was executed, and survivors were mercilessly hunted through the early winter months. The bodies were burnt in massive funeral pyres, and the Empire considered the matter at an end.
{{CaptionedImage|file=CM-130727-8554.jpg|align=left|width=450}}

==The Revolt Spreads==
On the first day of spring of the next year, the soldiers that Thrace had ordered to flee Varushka attacked slave camps in [[Wintermark]], [[Dawn]], the [[The League|League]] and [[Highguard]]. They had spent the winter spying out all the weakest defended areas where slaves were being held and they fell on them slaughtering any Imperials not smart enough to run. Their numbers swelled rapidly, just as they had done in Varushka, while the Empire struggled to respond to a widespread threat erupting in lands it considered secure.

There were atrocities on both sides during this period - stories of entire camps put to the sword by terrified owners, or villages sacked and every human within slaughtered by rampaging orc slaves in search of supplies. Not all contact between orcs and humans was hostile however; a handful of notable Freeborn and League merchants realized the potential for profit and began to sell weapons and provisions to the orc legions in return for plundered ores.

While the orcs tried to avoid pitched battles, their groups became too large to move effectively especially in open lands. Several major engagements took place in Dawn and Wintermark and although the orcs suffered a number of defeats there were always more camps to raids so their numbers continued to grow. The message of the revolt spread through the orc population, no matter how hard the Empire tried to prevent it. "We are one nation," it ran. "We are one people, and we will not be slaves any longer." Several camps spontaneously revolted and while most such mini-uprisings were ruthlessly suppressed enough succeeded, forming new legions who set out to join up with their free fellows.

As the year drew on, the disparate orc forces created a massive encampment near the city on the League city of Temeschwar where thousands of slaves were held, The city was well defended however and it was clear that they lacked the numbers to take it so they pushed north into Varushka intent on surviving the winter there as they had done the year before.

It was there, that [[Emperor Ahraz]] of the Brass Coast made contact with them, initially via contacts cultivated by Freeborn merchants, and later in person. While the Empire tends to take a dim view of Ahraz, the orcs mostly speak of him as a man of great sincerity and passion who convinced them that he could not only save their people, but give them a purpose and a home. All they had to do was swear to serve the Empire and the Imperial Throne.

Several legions refused to accept Ahraz' offer - to join the Empire that had enslaved them - and even the Emperor could not ensure their safety. They headed into the Varushkan wilderness, and out of the Imperial Orc histories. Some were exterminated by the Imperial Armies, others were prey to monsters, and a few exist today as beleaguered groups of outlaws.

Those who accepted Ahraz' offer marched along with his forces to Anvil, in a calculated show of force, to where the Senate was sitting. The Emperor presented the agreement to the Senate, and hours of frantic politicking took place. The Emperor's faction won the vote. Several far-reaching changes took place as a consequence; it became it illegal to keep orcs as slaves and those who swore to serve the Empire were accepted as Imperial citizens.

==Citizens of the Empire==
Acceptance of the orcs as citizens of the Empire meant the end of slavery. Those orcs still enslaved were brought to the vast camps based near Anvil. Tents and provisions were provided but life in these refugee camps was crowded and dirty. As months passed these camps became the de facto home for the Imperial Orcs. The Civil Service made a great push to recruit orcs into the Imperial army; the discipline of army life suited the orcs and keeping their people together made it possible to exert leadership over them.

The years that followed also required each of the now-Imperial Orcs to take the Tests of Adulthood. They learned to read and write first from Urizen teachers, and then from each other. These were the first of the skills that the orcs had been denied as slaves, but others followed - metalworking, building, sewing - all had to be relearned.

Many orcs were keen to abandon the past and embrace the opportunity they had won for themselves as citizens of the Empire. The legacy of Thrace was to show the orcs that they were a people, and one that existed long before Ahraz made them citizens of the Empire. The orcs know that the Emperor did not make them one people, it merely gave their people a name.
{{CaptionedImage|file=ThePlan.jpg|caption=The Plan represented the first Imperial Orcs [[ambition|ambitions]] to secure a homeland.|align=right|width=350}}

==The Plan==
After the orcs agreed to join the Empire, the first problem that had to be addressed was where they would live. The human nations that had formed or joined the Empire held lands of their own. Territories that were liberated from the barbarians were incorporated into existing nations. But as slaves, the orcs claimed no lands of their own and no Imperial senators, not even the Freeborn were keen to offer the Imperial Orcs a home within their borders. To resolve the problem the representatives of the orcs proposed a simple plan - the orcs would become a nation without territories, claiming no land of their own until they could conquer one following Imperial statute. This proposal relieved the fears of many senators and helped to win the support of the League, although it was heavily criticised by the Highborn.

So the Imperial Orcs fought and died in the service of the Empire - always seeking to pursue "The Plan". Help the Empire conquer new lands and eventually the senate would assign one to the Imperial Orc nation so that they will have a homeland of their own. The Orcs were not naive about the obvious military, political and historical challenges they faced, but most believed that their journey to full citizenship in the Empire would never be complete until they held a territory. As a result the leaders of the Imperial Orcs and the legions themselves make a deliberate effort to keep the orcs together as a people, enduring the hard life in the legion camps as an essential sacrifice in order to achieve their ultimate goal. Individuals who settled down in other nations were seen as undermining the moral imperative for the Imperial Orcs to be given lands of their own and regarded with open hostility by many.

When [[Empress Britta]] took the Throne, she made overtures to the Imperial Orcs bringing them into the inner circle of her advisors. With their drive for conquest undimmed by the decades since the uprising, the Imperial Orcs were key to her ambitions to reinvigorate the Empire and take the fight to the barbarians who pressed their borders. Some claim that she made secret pacts with the leaders of the Orcs, promising them lands in return for their support. The truth of such matters probably died when Britta was ambushed and killed along with many of her most ardent supporters. However some years later, when the [[The_Throne#Imperial_Favour|Imperial Favour]] of Britta was discovered - those who held it reported that it had been placed in trust for the Imperial Orc nation.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Skarsindregions2.png|caption=A place of alpine slopes and valleys|align=right|width=350}}
==Skarsind==
In 379YE the Imperial Orcs helped the Wintermarkers fight off a cruel assault by the forces of the [[Thule]] Dragons. During the battle, the Orcs recovered the [[Crown of Three Tears]], the ancient Wintermark symbol of unity. After the fighting was complete, members of the Irontide and Skywise legions returned the priceless crown to their allies. It is claimed that this great gift was instrumental in awakening the Wintermark people to the long suffering of the Imperial Orcs. In gratitude Wintermark proposed to give the Imperial Orcs a gift that would far surpass even the crown - a homeland - the territory of [[Skarsind]]. There were significant political and constitutional hurdles to overcome but eventually [[Relinquish_Skarsind|the territory was relinquished]] and then [[Assignment_of_Skarsind_II|assigned by the Senate]] to the Imperial Orcs.

Some of the history of that momentous decision and the events that followed is [[Land_fit_for_heroes|recounted here]]. A few Imperial Orcs remain conflicted about the decision to this day; they say that the Plan had always been to claim a nation through their own military force, not to gain land from the beneficence of others. For the majority however, Skarsind represents the culmination of three generations of struggle; the Imperial Orcs proved themselves time and again on the battlefield until eventually the Empire - led by Wintermark - saw fit to give them what was long owed. As the news spread, tens of thousands of Imperial Orcs from across the Empire moved to Skarsind, eager to finally put down roots and grasp the opportunity presented by this rich land. For many Orcs, Skarsind seems like everything they have ever wanted.

==Coming of the Septs==
For generations the nation saw its numbers stay roughly equal; as orcs died on the battlefield so they were occasionally recruited or came of age and became citizens. This changed first with the influx of the Liberated, orcs brought from the Principalities of Jarm, who joined what would be the [[Sunstorm]]. The numbers swelled with the arrival of roughly three thousand orcs of the [[Sannite]] sept after they were [[383YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war#Mission|rescued]] from the gladiatorial arenas of [[Mareave]], they returned with the Winter Sun to Skarsind and spent the next two years carving out a niche for themselves until they were [[Imperial_Orcs_hearth_magic#Insignia|recognised]] and named during the Summer Solstice 385YE. The [[Tamazi]], orcs freed from the citadels of Axos, moved to Skarsind soon after but held off until formally joining the nation until much later.

The coming of the three septs of [[Ossium]] presented a fundamental shift in the nature of the Imperial Orcs. The septs were open to becoming part of the nation, but loathe to give up their pride, their unique traditions, and their important history. Each sept asked the Imperial Orcs to construct a great [[edifice]], partly to honour the newcomers, partly to allow them to join the nation as equals, and partly to ensure that there would be a place for their ways in the nation. As the requests of each of the [[Ethengraw]], the [[Illarawm]], and the [[Yerende]] were accepted and constructed the egregores spent the time to travel the nation and understand the cultures of the six septs. When the three Ossean septs were finally welcomed into the nation during the Autumn Equinox 385YE it represented a change bigger than has affected any of the other nations of the Empire. What was a nation of one people became a powerhouse of six, looking to improve not only themselves but the Empire as a whole.

==A Future Unwritten==
{{CaptionedImage|file=Orc On The Water.jpg|align=right|caption=What does the future hold for the Imperial Orcs?|width=500}}
Skarsind is the vision that [[Emperor Ahraz]] promised their forebears, this gift from Wintermark is Britta's [[Signs_of_the_paragon_and_exemplar#Legacy|legacy]]. It is in the nature of orcs to strive - the Plan may be over - but now there is a new challenge facing the Imperial Orcs. Can they unify the septs and build a nation worthy of Thrace and the other ancestors? Now they have a seat at the great table, can they build a nation to become the equal of any other?

{{Imperial Orcs Links}}

More work

2026-08-01T11:23:57Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:382YE Summer]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>"Excommunicate the Senate!"

"I know, I know. I was there."

"Honestly, what is he ''thinking''? Excommunicate the Senate indeed. It's not as if he ever makes the effort to go to Anvil himself."

Prince Luija was incensed, striding furiously along the riverbank walk. Maria had to hurry to match her pace, which she hated. It made her pant, and left her red faced and short of breath.

"It's not as if he's as mobile as he used to be," tried Maria diplomatically. "His leg..."

"Rubbish! If he actually wanted to he could get there without any difficulty. Any of us could, if we were honest. We just... don't. We just lounge around criticising and complaining instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in."

Luija stopped suddenly, and a young man in an ivory mask nearly careened into her. Maria raised her cane threateningly, and the lad skipped away scowling. Once he was a safe distance away he made a rude gesture and shouted something about minding where they were going before running off. The Prince was oblivious lost in her own thoughts.

"To be honest. I've always just assumed that somewhere inside Jago knows that the rest of the world isn't going to be interested in listening to him bellow. They'll want a damn site more sensible reasons for making these kinds of changes than ''Bishop Jago demands it''."

She pursed her lips.

"Not that some of the things he's suggesting don't make sense you understand."

Luija began to walk again, but this time her pace was more measured. Maria was thankful, and after a few moments touched the Prince's arm. She inclined her head slightly in approval, and the two linked arms. The walk had become a promenade.

"Severin is right, of course." Said Luija thoughtfully. "It ''is'' virtue that unites us. The Synod ''is'' there to remind us of that. It ''does'' need to be able to step in from time-to-time to keep everyone on the same road rather than scurrying off willy-nilly into the back alleys to get lost or robbed."

The Prince was using a lot of obscure metaphors today, which Maria had learned to recognise as a sign that her mind was at full tilt.

"I don't disagree," said Maria. "But demanding excommunication of the Senate if they don't do what they're told... It'd be a return to the bad old days under Teleri. I've read the history, I know what it was like."

Her prince slid her eyes sideways, amused.

"You mean you've read the historical romances, which is very different. Honestly! I thought you had more sense than to confuse romantic fiction with historical fact. What was it I caught you weeping over the other day?"

Maria looked away and muttered under her breath.

"I didn't catch that," said the Prince, amused.

"''The Chalice Inverted''," said Maria grudgingly. "It's very good!"

Her prince laughed. "I'm sure it is. But giving the Synod a bit of a polish wouldn't be the end of the world and it wouldn't mean we were turning into Sumaah. The constitution is pretty clear that the Synod is ''supposed'' to poke its nose into things, and take steps when it needs to stop people being silly."

She nodded her head firmly, her mind made up.

"No, Bishop Jago is an angry arse, like one of those one o'clock drunks pissing into the river. That doesn't mean his words are entirely without sense, but one traps more wasps with jam than marmalade, as the Marchers say."

"It's something like that yes," said Maria tactfully.

"Either way, I'll be interested to see how this plays out. Everyone seems to have been tip-toeing around everyone else since that schism business, but that ''was'' quite a few months ago. Now might well be the time to look at the relationship between the Big Three again, who knows? I'm sure that sensible people - not blowhards like Jago - will be able to work something out if they just put their heads together."

"Maybe," said Maria, cynically.

"Absolutely!" corrected Luija, with a sunny expression. "After all, there's no point ''starting'' with excommunication is there? Not when revocation is so much easier to achieve..." </ic>

==Overview==
"To every Imperial nation, I shall bring the message that at the heart of our faith lies our common belief in the Seven Virtues", wrote '''Severin von Holberg''' after the Winter Solstice, in his encyclical address to the people of the Empire. He seemed to place some of the blame for the Empire's current crisis at the feet of the National assemblies when he said "''we have learned to our bitter cost, the effects of national religious divisions''". Discussion about the role of the National Assemblies in the Synod [[Benevolence,_inspiration,_and_legacy|continues to rage]], but now the focus of attention has shifted to another area. "''It is the Seven Virtues than unite us, not divide us.''" he concluded - a sentiment echoed throughout his address and supported by the General Assembly that gave him leave to make it.

With that in mind, theological scholars and lay followers of the Way alike have been contemplating the nature of the Seven Virtues that form the shared core of the Imperial faith. From their discussions, a number of suggestions and opportunities have arisen.

==Cardinal Truth==
The foremost exemplars of the virtuous assemblies are the [[Cardinal|cardinals]]. They are appointed to provide leadership to the priests and pilgrims who follow their virtue; they are expected to be well versed in matters of virtue and the Way as a whole and to speak with authority on matters of doctrine. A focus on the virtues cannot help but take a fresh look at the role of the cardinals both in the Synod, and in the wider political landscape of the Empire.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><quote by="Role of the Cardinal">A cardinal is assumed to provide leadership to the priests and pilgrims who follow their virtue. They are expected to be well versed in matters of virtue and The Way so that they can speak with authority on matters of doctrine.</quote></div>
===The Voice of the Nine===
* '''Statements of principle by the Assembly of the Nine are receiving additional attention from the faithful.'''
* '''Such statements that receive a greater majority are as likely to have a significant effect as those passed by a national assembly.'''
In addition to the three assemblies each Synod member is part of, every cardinal is a member of a unique assembly, the Assembly of the Nine. With a renewed focus on virtue, religious scholars across the Empire are examining the statements of principle issued by the Assembly of the Nine with renewed interest. Previously, statements passed by the Assembly of the Nine did not have a significant impact beyond Anvil. Although the Assembly is politically significant, most citizens focus more on the statements passed by the collective bodies of the Synod, rather than their elected leaders.

Now, theologians and scholars are paying much closer attention to the words of the cardinals. After all, the authority of judgements made by the Assembly of Nine has always been intended to extend to the whole Empire, and to overrule those judgements made by any other assembly bar the General Assembly. It would be unwise, then, to pay no heed to ''any'' judgement of the Nine, not least the statements of principle whereby they can offer virtuous guidance to the entire faith.

For the foreseeable future, then, any statement of principle by the Assembly of the Nine that achieves a greater majority will be as likely to generate a clear effect as a similar statement raised by a national assembly - but with a much wider reach.

===The Choir of the Virtuous===
* '''The Senate could pass a motion to escalate statements of principle that receive a greater majority in a virtue assembly to the Assembly of the Nine.'''
* '''If an escalated statement receives a greater majority in the Assembly of the Nine, it will be much more likely to create a significant effect.'''
Severin talked about the need to focus on virtue, which unites the Empire, and this has led not only to an increased interest in the statements of the Assembly of Nine, but also a debate about the relationship between the virtue assemblies and the cardinals who (nominally at least) lead them. At the moment, although statements of principle by the virtue assemblies are widely distributed, they are of interest primarily to the priests of congregations dedicated to that virtue. As these congregations are scattered across the Empire, it is significantly harder for these statements to have any kind of noticeable influence over the faithful. This limits their effectiveness as tools for guiding the faithful - which seems at odds with the key role virtue plays (and should play) in the Way.

Still, the statements of the virtue assemblies have a tendency to be very specific in their intent. When one is preaching to the choir, it is easy to find people who agree with you. It is significantly harder for those who do not share a clear focus on a specific virtue to find common cause with statements from another assembly. What a single virtue assembly considers paramount is not necessarily to the benefit of the Way as a whole.

A compromise has been suggested, however. ''Vibia of Fossegrimm Spire'' in [[Morrow]] has suggested a reasonable progression that would allow for the statements of principle of the virtue assemblies to receive a wider reach, while recognising the role of the Cardinals in leading these assemblies. She suggests that any statement of principle by a virtue assembly that receives a greater majority be automatically escalated to the Assemble of the Nine for discussion. If that statement receives the support of the greater majority of the Nine, then it is clearly of interest to more than a single virtue assembly. The statement would thus be given the same attention as any statement that had come from the Nine directly.

All that is required, in the opinion of Vibia, is that the Senate pass a motion instructing the [[Tribune_of_the_Synod|Tribunes]] to make this change to procedure. The [[Scrutiny#Constitutional_Court|Constitutional Court]] have cautiously expressed the opinion that provided the wording of such a motion was clear and straightforward, there is nothing unconstitutional in the core concept as far as they can see.

===The Mandate of Teleri===
* '''The Senate could pass a constitutional motion to restore the power of the cardinals to function as full members of the Senate.'''
* '''Doing so would automatically abrogate the Conscience of the Senate.'''
During the reign of [[Empress Teleri]], when the Imperial Synod first began to explore its political role in the Empire, the cardinals were not only members of the Synod but [[Senate_session#Member_of_the_Senate|members]] of the Imperial Senate as well. They were able to be present in the Senate, each had full voting rights, and they could both raise and second a senate motion. This power was granted to them in recognition of the fact that just as the senators represented a number of Imperial citizens in a [[territory]], so the cardinals represented a similar constituency - the virtuous citizens of their assembly. This power was removed during the reign of [[Empress Varkula]], and the office of [[Conscience of the Senate]] created as a political compromise.

With a suitably worded Senate motion, the senate could restore the power to function as full voting members of the Senate to the cardinals. This would require a [[Senate_motion#Constitutional_Vote|constitutional vote]], and would need to be [[The_Throne#Ratification|ratified]] by [[the Throne]]. Implicit in this motion would be the [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Abrogation|abrogation]] of the Conscience of the Senate - the role exists to give the Synod a voice in the Senate, and with the cardinals on the floor there would be no need of the Conscience.

===The Palaces of the Cardinals===
* '''The Senate could commission palaces as residences for the Cardinals and places of pilgrimage for the faithful.'''
* '''These palaces would provide each cardinal with additional liao and additional votes in the Synod.'''
The cardinals are appointed by the virtue assemblies, and expected to take a leadership role in the Synod. Yet despite their prestigious positions, a cardinal has little more power to actually lead the Synod than any other priest with a [[congregation]]. ''Bishop Orlando di Holberg'', lecturer in theology at the [[Holberg#The_City_of_Holberg|University of Holberg]] and leader of a radical sect of priests with [[Benevolence,_inspiration,_and_legacy#The_Radicals|radical views]] on Synod politics have put forward arguments that in the absence of firm guidance from the cardinals and by extension the virtue assemblies, the power of the National assemblies has grown at the expense of the Synod as a whole.

After considering this situation, a [[Highguard|Highborn]] philosopher and dedicate of Pride named ''Abigail of Forestgard'' (an old chapter in [[Casinea#Woodwych|Woodwych]], in [[Casinea]]) has proposed that the Cardinals could take a larger role in shaping the Synod. They are the chosen representatives of their virtue, and as such their voices should arguably have additional weight not only in the virtue assemblies but in the Synod as a whole. Abigail spent several years in [[Sumaah_Republic_ports#Zemeh|Zemeh]], in the [[Sumaah Republic]], and was one of a rare few Imperial priests invited to visit the Republic capital of Timoj. The Houses of Virtue there clearly left an indelible impression on her understanding of the Way, and she is arguing that something similar could strengthen the Synod in the Empire.

Abigail proposes that an official residence be constructed for each of the eight cardinals - a palace in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop%27s_Palace religious sense] as it is sometimes used in the League. One palace dedicated to each of the Seven virtues and to the Way which would serve not only as residences for the cardinals, and offices for the civil servants who support the Synod, but also as centres for the study and practice of the virtues. As with the Houses of Virtue in Timoj, she argues, these palaces would give additional structure to the Way and inspire pilgrims both domestic and foreign.
<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><box>'''Appointing the Cardinals'''<br>Some concerns raised about the ability for cardinals to use these votes to appoint themselves were raised. The constitutional court drew attention to an overlooked ruling that it is illegal to use votes gained from an [[Imperial title]] during the appointment of that title. They were unaware that this was potentially happening, and have reminded both citizens and magistrates to be [[Vigilance|vigilant]] for this form of [[List_of_Criminal_Offences#Crimes_against_the_Processes_of_the_State|subversion of the agencies of the state]]</box></div>
As the cradle of the Way, these residences would all be built in the [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]] of [[Bastion]]. Her proposal is to build these cathedral-palaces in a wide ring equally spaced around the outskirts of the city, and to surround them with parks and other monuments to the principles of each virtue. her vision has several enthusiastic supporters and basic plans for these commissions have been drawn up by a group including architects from [[Tassato#The_School_of_Epistemology|School of Epistemology]], engineers from [[Holberg]], and theologian-builders from the Custodes Clavium.

As an additional benefit, the presence of these grand monuments celebrating the virtues and the Way that units them would further cement the city of Bastion as the heart of the Way, not only within the Empire but on a global scale.
====Constructing the Palaces====
Constructing eight palaces in Bastion, one for each cardinal, could be raised as a single [[Senate motion]], and count as a single commission. While these palaces could in theory be built elsewhere, there are numerous advantages to building them in a city already recognised as the centre of the faith, and replete with virtuous architects, engineers, and workers.

The project would cost 120 white granite, 40 weirwood, and 320 crowns. Construction of the eight residencies would take six months to complete, it being possible to work on multiple palaces simultaneously. When complete, these palaces would amend the powers of the cardinals so that each would receive 10 [[liao]] and 20 additional votes in the Imperial Synod for as long as the palaces remained intact.

Furthermore, the presence of these centres of virtue in Bastion would greatly complement the [[Construct_Virtue's_Rest|Virtue's Way]] project to build hostelries for virtuous pilgrims. If both are constructed, the benefit of that [[great work]] would be increased by a further 10 liao and 20 votes.


<quote by="Imperial Constitution">The Synod shall ensure the virtuous behaviour of the Empire. The Synod will remove from Imperial office those whose behaviour is deemed unvirtuous whether they sit upon the Throne; serve the people in the Senate or on the Military Council or in the Civil Service; or serve within the councils of the Synod itself.(17) The Synod will ensure the behaviour of individual citizens does not debase the Empire. </quote>

==Guardians of the Faithful==
* '''Theological and constitutional scholars have been discussing the Synod power of revocation.'''
* '''They are two proposals to allow the Synod to wield this power with greater effect.'''
Virtue unites the people of the Empire, and there is an expectation that those who serve in high office be virtuous - or at least that they not be actively unvirtuous. The Synod are given a potent tool to help ensure that those who rise to power within the Empire do not demean it, or its people, through their actions: [[revocation]]. The Imperial Constitution charges the Synod with the responsibility to remove from office those citizens whose behaviour is deemed unvirtuous. A judgement of revocation is the mechanism to allow this; if successful the revoked citizen immediately loses the Imperial title they held, exactly as if they had resigned the position.

Sadly, there are many virtuous priests in the Empire who believe that the power of revocation as it currently stands is often insufficient to the task. For example, when a [[general]] is revoked, they say, venal [[Senator|senators]] blinded by national politics quickly reinstate their chosen candidate, heedless of the wise judgement of the Synod. The national assemblies are often - for whatever reason - minded to leave the holder of a national position in their post even when their actions demean the Empire as a whole. The general assembly could, in theory, revoke these individuals but for all its power it is often difficult to motivate the priests of the Empire as a whole to perform a simple revocation. The Assembly of the Nine could revoke such individuals, but the ease with which they are returned to their position, and the angry reception such "interference" from the cardinals often receives, often makes them loathe to do so.

''Bishop Jago Heshel di Temeschwar'', of the Church of the Golden Orator in [[Temeschwar]], has been considering this perceived problem for some time and in conjunction with the constitutional scholar ''Teodora Bezavina'' of [[Karov#Delev|Delev]] (recent author of a [[Benevolence,_inspiration,_and_legacy#An_End_to_Ultimatums|controversial tract]] criticising the National Assemblies, has put forward three potential solutions.
===Removal of Refutation===
* '''The protection provided by reappointing a revoked citizen to the same title could be removed.'''
One of the controversial elements of revocation is that if someone is revoked, and then reinstated to their title, they [[Revocation#Reappointment|cannot then be revoked for the remainder of their tenure]]. In the case of titles that are lifetime appointments, this is potentially a very long time indeed. Of course the [[Writ of Excommunication]] will remove someone from their position regardless of whether they have already been revoked and re-appointed, but the Synod is (rightly, in Bishop Jago's opinion) cautious about wielding this potent legal and spiritual power without extremely good cause. It was certainly never intended to be used simply to ensure a revocation is successful.

Bishop Jago argues that the ability of an electorate to simply reappoint someone who has been judged unvirtuous, and shield them from any further criticism, is extremely problematic. For example, priests may often be cautious about removing someone who is clearly unvirtuous from a position for fear that, were they reinstated, they would be free to act as they wished secure in the knowledge that only excommunication could stop them.

There is no provision in the constitution for this protection; indeed the constitution urges the Synod to remove anyone who is unvirtuous. The least change that could be made to help the virtuous priests of the Synod to do their constitutionally-charged duty would be to remove this restriction.

It would require a suitably worded Senate motion, which would be constitutional in nature, but the power of revocation could then be amended so that a truly unvirtuous title holder could then be revoked as often as necessary. While this could in theory lead to a frustrating back-and-forth between the Synod and the people responsible for appointing a title, Bishop Jago is confident that there are sufficient checks and balances to make this unlikely - and the benefits to the Empire far outweigh this potential minor disruption.

===Revocation means Revocation===
* '''It could be made illegal to reappoint a citizen who has been revoked to the same title for the next year.'''
Alternatively, the power of revocation could be amended in a different way, one that would ensure no such back-and-forth would take place. After all, if the concern is that revocation would lead to reappointment, and reappointment to revocation, surely the appropriate solution would be to prevent reappointment?

Rather than simply removing the restriction that someone cannot be revoked from the same position twice, the Senate could empower revocation that by default a citizen is immediately made ineligible for the title they are revoked from for a full year. Bishop Jago initially suggests that the ineligibility be ''permanent'' but advice from Teodora regarding the purpose of a writ of excommunication causes him to soften his position.

The argument is that it is always possible for someone who is unvirtuous to mend their ways, and turn back to the paths of virtue. Yet such changes in behaviour take time, and one use for revocation might be to give the individual time to make these changes.

Amending the power of revocation in this way - so that a citizen who is revoked cannot be considered for that title again until a full year has passed - would likewise require a Senate motion, and would likewise have constitutional implications. Indeed, Teodora points out that legally they would not even be allowed to serve as [[proxy]] for a title from which they have been revoked until the year has passed, as a citizen can only legally be the proxy for an Imperial title they are eligible to hold.

==Missed Opportunities==
The Synod Judgement that authorised the sermon sought to remind every Imperial citizen of the bitter cost of national religious divisions - urging them to put aside these divisions and instead focus on what unites them. The prognostications performed by the civil service determined that the impact of the mandate would be such "that any attempt to incite people to confront religious differences or spiritual conflicts would be strongly inhibited for the following year" and so it has proved. There were a number of incidents over the season that might have become the basis for further conflict were it not for Severin's words. As with the [[Benevolence,_inspiration,_and_legacy#Missed_Opportunities|previous season]], this has meant that some statements of principle have not led to a clear effect.

<div style="float:right; width: 450px; clear: right;"><quote by="Imperial Orcs Assembly, Spring Equinox 382YE, Bonewall Col, Upheld 83 - 0">We believe that Virtuous Ancestors should be able to be Recognised by the Synod. We identify the following signs of Virtue in having relevance in such a Matter: Sign of Legacy, Sign of Inspiration, Sign of Benevolence, SIgn of Salvation, Sign of Pilgrimage, Sign of Miracle, Sign of Revelation</quote></div>
The statement of principle by '''Bonewall Col''' regarding virtuous ancestors was distributed among the congregations in Skarsind, and received a mixed response. While some orcs agreed that it was important to recognise virtuous ancestors, many more disagreed. The [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith|doctrines of the faith]] are clear about the role of [[paragons and exemplars]], and about the role of the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_the_Ancestors|ancestors]], but their roles are very different. Worse, while humans and orcs alike can be inspired by the paragons and exemplars - of ether species - only orcs hear their ancestors. Indeed, orcs only hear some ancestors, making the idea of recognising certain ancestors as more virtuous

Defining an ancestor as virtuous using the signs of the paragons and exemplars raises additional questions. If an orc is believed to have fulfilled the signs of the paragon, then surely they should simply be [[recognition|recognised]] as a paragon (or exemplar) not some separate but equal new classification of inspiration? Should the orcs who follow the Way not be equally inspired by the human paragons and exemplars? Are the lessons of Prosperity taught by [[the Little Mother]], or the lessons of Wisdom presented by [[Kala]] less pertinent to the orcs than the lessons of [[Ambition]] taught by [[Known_exemplars#Thrace|Thrace]]?

Having an orc-only category of inspiration makes many uneasy - and not just the orcs. The fundamental purpose of the Doctrine of the Ancestors and the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_the_Howling_Abyss|Doctrine of the Howling Abyss]] is to give context to, and a place for, orcs in the Imperial faith alongside their human brothers and sisters. This statement of principle risks creating a divide between the orcs and the humans, just after the existing division has been resolved.

Given the degree of spiritual and religious conflict this statement of principle would potentially have created, it is perhaps a blessing that Severin's focus on unity over division has discouraged further discussion of this contentious topic.

==Severin von Holberg in play==
It is important to bear in mind that Severin von Holberg is a player character, and not a member of our NPC crew. While he delivered the initial mandate, and the address that accompanied it, he has had no direct input into the resulting plot developments.
<box>'''The Chalice Inverted'''<br>If you're interested in the story Maria is reading, a historical romance staring[[ Emperor Nicovar]] and the Thorn[[ Isaella]], you can find it [https://archiveofourown.org/works/6206965/chapters/14219719 here]. In character, it is being published by chapters in a League magazine by one ''Benedict Von Kein'' - which is an obvious pseudonym as the Imperial translation would be, roughly, "good man from nothing". It is, I understand, a little ''risqué'' in places.</box>

Under eastern skies

2026-08-01T11:23:30Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Recent History]] [[Category:386YE Winter]] [[Category:Military Council]]
<div style="float:left; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Under Eastern Skies.jpg|caption=The sky weeps bitter tears over Therunin, filthy with the cursed corruption of the Druj.|align=left|width=600}}</div>
==Along the Lake==
{{PDFLink|align=right|link=File:Under eastern skies.pdf|caption=Click for pdf version}}{{audio|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sHX4iLHEUw}}
Therunin has been invaded by the Druj. They hold East Ashes, giving them control of both shores of the Feverwater, and following a successful [[Blood and mire|Imperial offensive]] last season, they fight to hold Eastring. Even if they are driven from the territory, though, their brutal fingerprints will mark the marshy forests for some time to come. The Lower Tarn Valley has been poisoned by Sephal's Cauldron, and it was only through the terrible sacrifice of Imperial heroes, especially those of Dawn, that the orcs of the Mallum were prevented from [[Blood_and_mire#Objective:_Stop_the_Blood_Drainers_coven|devastating East Ashes]] and [[Blood_and_mire#Objective:_Stop_Cintra_Blackstaff|rousing the vallorn]].

After their comprehensive defeat at [[Blood_and_mire#All_Along_the_Lakeside_(Battle_Opportunity)|Ashwater]], the magicians of the Tainted Basilisk have all but abandoned the territory, retreating back toward the Mallum. Yet before they left, they wove one last tapestry of misery over Therunin with their wicked sorceries.

The twisted ghulai and malicious magicians have twined sickening threads of [[Spring magic]] around the marshes and the forests. Their vile curse [[Rivers Run Red|taints the land itself]], causing wounds to fester, making water unsafe to drink unless it is boiled, bloating vermin and leeches and venomous beasts, and even corrupts the trees and plants. Its malignant touch is even worse in the Lower Tarn Valley, where it further strengthens the residue of Sephal's Cauldron.
__TOC__
[[Forge the Wooden Fastness|Woven wooden wards]] curl around Eastring and East Ashes, drawing power from the Druj's [[eternal]] patrons to turn the woodlands themselves against the Empire. Unnatural brambles and thorns coil around the boles of the trees, beasts turn murderously savage, and dark spirits lurk among the roots and branches of the dogwood and marsh cedar. Unnatural fecundity causes familiar trails to become overgrown, or provides living barricades for the Druj to hide behind. The forest itself acts to protect the orcs of the Mallum, to help hide their presence giving ample opportunity for stealth and ambush.

While the Druj rely on wicked magic, their defences are mirrored in the west by the industry of the [[Towerjacks]]. The League army spent the last season preparing defences around [[Therunin#Peakedge Song|Peakedge Song]], especially around the hospital. Navarr driven from their steadings, and [[Great Forest Orcs]] who cannot make the dangerous trip through the Lower Tarn Valley to the Barrens begin to gather at the sanctuary of [[Therunin#Peakedge_Stead|Peakedge Stead]].

The Towerjacks themselves are gone; leaving Therunin to offer their expertise to the [[On southern sands|defence of Redoubt]]. The [[Northern Eagle]] march with them but the Varushkans pay a steep price for passing through the Lower Tarn Valley, [[Region_qualities#Poisoned|poisoned]] by the [[Ashes#Objective:_Prevent_the_use_of_the_Sephals_Cauldron|spillage of Sephal's Cauldron]]. The blackest arts of the apothecary, and the insidious influence of Spring curses, means some ten score warriors do not leave the valley alive. Yet they do not pause, following their duty south into Urizen. At the same time, the [[Gryphon's Pride]] march north from Eastring into the Barrens on a grim [[By northern shores|mission of their own]].
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Cadwell Waystone, General of the Isaella's Dance">My Poison Thorns, the Empire has bled in Therunin while we healed. The Magic of Autumn bound our wounds and now we are ready. The Druj have tortured and slaughtered their way through our lands. We will bring a swift death with our poison thorns. We attack via the Barrens into Eastring</quote></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Alderei the Fair, General of the Iron Helms">These are times of great change cousins. Even in death we will finish the work in Therunin, with cold flesh quickened we eradicate the Druj on Imperial soil. This shall mark our rebirth. The dark of winter holds no terror over us. Onwards through the snow.</quote></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Zoran De Orzel, General of the Golden Sun">Glorious knights of the Golden Sun, we continue our grinding advance through Therunin. We avoid the poisonous lower tarn valley. We continue to defend the Navarr territory from the onslaught of the Druj. Dawn have lost much of late, All stories must end, keep your love and loyalty for them in your hearts. In the name of their glory.</quote></div>
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Rhisiart Dancewalker, General of the Black Thorns">Blackthorns, we fight for our homes, our people, our land. Fight for the future and one step closer to destroying the Druj, to the vallorn. I call the pines and our kin of the Great Forest Orcs. Bring fury to the Druj and burn them to Ashes</quote></div>

==Burn Them To Ashes==
If the Navarr of Therunin are worried about the departure of the three armies, they keep their concerns to themselves and focus on preparing for another Druj onslaught. They are by no means undefended. The [[Black Thorns]], the [[Iron Helms]], and the [[Golden Sun]] remain in Eastring to fight the Druj, to drive them across the border and secure Therunin.

The 'Thorns are accompanied by a cohort of [[Knights of Glory|elfin knights]], summoned from the court of [[Eleonaris]]. They relish the opportunity to fight the Druj, for the rulers of the Summer realm have little love for the treacherous orcs of the Mallum. The Iron Helms have their own supernatural allies, albeit of a very different flavour. As perhaps fits the dark nature of the Varushkan army the dead march – shamble – with them. [[Quickening Cold Meat|Bound Winter spirits]] throng around the Iron Helms, wearing the corpses of human and orc warriors who fell in Therunin and using them to bring fear and death to the Druj. The red river curse that lies over the territory plays havoc with the meat they puppet; while it does not decompose, it still breeds swarms of writhing worms and clouds of biting flies and the stench quickly becomes almost untenable. They still fight, though, eager to taste the flesh of the Mallum orcs.

Along with their magical allies, both armies are accompanied by independent captains, their grim warbands eager to defend Therunin and drive out the Druj. The Thorns and the Helms essay a balanced strategy that weighs the need to drive the Druj out against the need to avoid their traps. The Golden Sun meanwhile employs [[Army_qualities#Resilient|tactics they honed in the Barrens]], consolidating the Imperial hold and rooting out the guerrillas, ambushers, and assassins left behind by the retreating orcs of the Mallum.

These three remaining armies are joined by Isaella's Dance, well rested after a season recuperating in [[Astolat]]. The newest Navarr army pauses briefly in the Heart of Peytaht before marching east through Hope's Rest and the Bleaks and into Eastring from the north. They bring with them all their [[Army_qualities#Thornbound|thornbound]] expertise, all their green and red wisdom, their understanding of Spring magic and the power locked inside herbs and potions.

With the 'Dance come the Spears of the Pines – the warriors and hunters of the Great Forest Orcs – called by the general of the Black Thorns to fight alongside their Navarr allies. They do little to hide their contempt for the Iron Helms and the Golden Sun, staying close to the Thorns and the Dance. But they still fight; they may despise the Varushkan and Dawnish armies but they ''hate'' the Druj.

For their part, after their defeat during the Autumn Equinox, the eastern invaders seem to be in retreat, apparently preparing to abandon their forces still in East Ashes to the Empire. The Imperial armies press forward, looking to finish what was begun last season.

==Sprung==
For the first few weeks, the Druj fall back, through the magical defences they have raised in Eastring, toward the borders of the Mallum. Then suddenly they are not falling back any more. They are on the offensive. The Deadly Blade and the Hidden Widow emerge from the deep forests to assault the flanks of the Imperial force. They are supported by the stealthy poisoners of the Hidden Widow, and the bite of their blades bring painful death or crippling injuries. At the same time, the other Druj armies – Arrow Viper and Flame Beetle, and Hidden Snake, Poison Crane and Red Lizard and White Lion – push back against the Imperial advance. They probe and test, and wherever they find weakness, whenever they locate a company that has become overextended or a supply line that has been left exposed through accident or misadventure, they strike ruthlessly, cruelly, and blood flows in the marshy woods.

The Hunting Scorpion seem to be everywhere; adept skirmishers they move swiftly and surely through the wetlands to harry the Black Thorns and the Iron Helms at every opportunity, raining barbed arrows down out of the gathering dusk, even hiding beneath the water breathing through hollow reeds to launch surprise attacks in the middle of the night against soldiers who thought themselves safe.

And in the forefront of the fighting, the [[Not_to_conquer#Who_are_the_Black_Wind?|Black Wind]]. The army of the Barrens, the only surviving army of the orcs that sought to resist both Druj and Empire, to secure their home. Twisted by their loss, driven to terrible acts by their unquenchable hatred of the Empire. A hatred stoked to a white heat by the [[Ripples_and_shadows#Black_Wind|actions of the Iron Helms]], who executed the elders of their people living in the Barrens. They were given leave to reclaim their sept, to take their people into the Mallum, and while there may have been mercy in that decision the Black Wind show no sign of repaying it. They are utterly [[Army_qualities#Cruel|ruthless]], driven by a burning flame of vengeance, they seek every opportunity to retribute the Iron Helms. Those Imperials who fall into their clutches die badly, slowly, painfully. Their remains are used to taunt their living comrades, mounted on spikes and poles, nailed to trees, left lying where they can be found. Their hatred knows no bounds, and they pass up no opportunity to engage the Varushkan army that is the focus of their wrath.

Had the Empire been more reckless in Therunin, had they charged into the fray seeking to drive the Druj out with force, things might have gone very badly indeed. As it is, the more balanced approach allows the armies to avoid the trap before the jaws close around their legs. But it soon becomes apparent that the Druj outnumber the Empire by a significant margin.

The Druj are not reckless however, and for a short time that provides a spark of hope that the Empire might still prevail. Their assaults are cautious, measured, cunning. They rely on their dark sorcery to eat away at those they injure, to do their butchers' work for them. A cowards strategy, but one that works.

Whenever they face strong resistance they draw back... only to attack again from a different direction or in a different place. The pressure is constant, the threat of attack never goes away, and the fear and stress it places on the armies of the Empire begins to grow.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Druj1.jpg|align=right|width=300|caption=The banners of the Druj are decorated with trophies taken from their fallen foes, designed to inspire fear in the hearts of those who dare oppose them.}}</div>

==The Razor Snare==
Then the Druj strategy changes. One cold wet morning, the forest falls entirely silent. The drums the Druj use to communicate over distances are stilled, and the birds and beasts of the forest fall silent. For hours, Therunin itself seems to be holding its breath.

The moment cannot last. With a thunderous crash the drums return, a relentless rhythm that strikes fear into the heart. The Spring magic ward the Druj have placed over Eastring pulses and changes; no longer impeding and protecting the Druj but constricting and trapping the soldiers of the Empire. The trees and animals become actively malign.

Even with the warning, the armies bog down. Roads and tracks are swallowed in the undergrowth; marshwaters rise to swallow and drown. Insects and predators turn savage... and while the mosquitos and flies and wasps are annoying there are ''other'' insects in Therunin. The Druj have already shown some facility with herding the massive chitinous creatures of the marshes, but here it is the power of Spring that fills them and turns them to violence.

While the Imperials are busy dealing with this deadly shift, the Druj attack. They stop retreating, stop probing, stop manoeuvring, and go for the kill with the vengeful Black Wind at the forefront of the attack. The grinding advance of the Golden Sun has secured the rear, but the Empire's flanks are still exposed. Imperial positions are enveloped, attacked from all directions at once. Watchposts fall silent, patrols vanish without a trace, messengers are intercepted and silenced forever.

The armies of the Empire stand, but the Druj keep coming. Brutal, cruel, relentless. Soldiers are struck down by venomed blade and lethal bowshot, wicked spear and malignant spell. Poison is everywhere, [[Legacy_of_Thorns#Redwillow_Paste|weakening]], [[Legacy_of_Thorns#Oil_of_Blackthorn|bringing swift death]], even [[Legacy_of_Thorns#Legionnaire's_Stare|paralysing]] and leaving proud knights to the cruel ministrations of the Druj or the cold embrace of Kaela.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Isaellas Dance Colour.png|align=right|width=300|caption=Isaella's Dance was built on a foundation of vates adept at manipulating the power of the [[Realm#Spring|Spring realm]], and supported by some of the finest masters of herb lore in the Empire.}}</div>

==Now We Are Ready==
It's clear that if something is not done, the Imperial presence in Therunin will end with a massacre. The magic that frustrates their efforts to fall back from the Druj, to answer their relentless attack, is drawn from the Spring realm and Isaella's Dance are well versed in the lore of healing and venom. Even as the war drums thunder, the magicians of the 'Dance consult, work swift divinations, and begin to unravel the nature of the wards that make the Imperial forces easy prey for the orcs of the Mallum. It is not that dissimilar to the Wooden Fastness that Irra Harah taught their ancestors to weave, but where that ward deals with protection and evasion, this one is built to snap shut around the enemies of the Druj.

The commanders meet and reach an agreement. If nothing is done, the Empire's armies in Therunin will be torn to pieces, crucified on poisoned thorns, strangled by creeping roots, smashed by flailing branches, devoured by the beasts of the marshy woods made feral by the enchantment that drips and flows through the water, the ground, the wind itself. There is a way to break free, but there will be a price, paid in blood. A sacrifice.

All those who wear the marks of the thorn and the brand, who have sworn their oaths to serve their family, and the Empire, come together in one place, falling back from the front lines. Then they push north, through the thorns and writhing brambles infused with the malice of the Druj. The Druj realise what they are doing almost immediately, sensing that they have identified a weakness in the trap, and move their forces to intercept, to stop Isaella's Dance leading the other Imperial armies to freedom.

They don't falter, not for one moment. Amidst withering arrow fire they tear through the hedges and walls of thorns – and through the Deadly Blade and the Hidden Widow, the armies of assassins and saboteurs that seek to bar their passage, to push them back into the killing ground.

Swift messengers give the signal, and the other armies follow close in their footsteps – the Black Thorns, the Iron Helms, the Golden Suns. The other Imperial armies fight to defend the 'Dance's flanks but there is only so much they can do.

Like a spear thrust, the 'Dance slices a path through the woods of Eastring. When one of their warriors falls - pierced with arrows, impaled on a spear, frothing their life-blood from their lips as Druj poisons take hold - another steps up to take their place. They weave through the ranks of the Druj, leaving only corpses in their wake. The Druj try to flank the 'Dance, but the other armies, especially the Golden Sun, ensure that those orcs that try to do so soon regret their decision. The Black Thorns and the Iron Helms hold the flanks, but it is the 'Dance in the vanguard that must absorb the force of the Druj assault.

It seems like days pass, but in truth it is only hours. The sun turns its face away, hiding behind thick clouds. It begins to rain. Hard, heavy drops writhing with the cursed power of pestilence and infection. There is no clear demarcation from the edge of the ward, nothing to mark the borders of the killing ground. Yet there is a subtle change in the air, as the rain falls. A shift in the atmosphere. The Druj arrows peter out, the vicious slaughter falls silent.

The Dawnish send up a great cheer, echoed by the Varushkans, believing that victory has been claimed. The Black Thorns are silent, and their silence spreads quickly to the Helms. The triumph of the Golden Sun falters, drops away. Perhaps a third of all the soldiers who began the day in the heart of Therunin are... gone. Dead, maimed, lost to the hungry forest and the blades of the Druj. Perhaps two thousand of the Black Thorns are dead. A thousand Golden Suns dimmed, as many Iron Helms missing in the rain and the gathering twilight.

Yet it is not these losses – this horrible butcher's bill – that makes the Black Thorns weep, the other armies bow their head and count the cost too high. The army named for that Navarr who knew all about prices and consequences... there at the forefront... fighting to save as many of their fellows as they could... are gone.

The dance is ended.
<div style="float:right; width: 600px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Triumph of the Mallum.jpg|caption=The Druj are without mercy, exulting in the slaughter of Imperial soldiers.|align=right|width=600}}</div>

==Desperation==
There is little time to grieve. At least the Gift of Kaela will offer escape to those who have fallen into the hands of the Druj; cold comfort to those whose friends have fallen. The Druj have not gone, have not abandoned their attempt to slaughter the armies in Therunin. There is just enough time to regroup, to gather as many surviving soldiers as possible. The armies cannot afford to stay here, in the woods of Therunin. They are still outnumbered, weakened by the loss of so many lives. It is astonishing that fear and panic do not rip through their spirits the way the weapons of the Druj have ripped through their strength.

There is barely time for a quick meeting among the commanders of the armies, to weigh their options. They cannot return to the killing field of the south; they dare not press east toward the Mallum; to the west lies the poisoned valley of the Lower Tarn where the Druj will have the advantage and where the sickening taint that lies there will be all the worse under the Rivers of Blood. They cannot stay where they are, outnumbered and overwhelmed. They must press north into the Bleaks, and trust that the Druj will not dare follow them or – if they do – that they will be overextended.

The horns are blown, the orders given. The armies push north toward the Barrens. There are shambolic routs and ordered retreats and this is neither, this march northward. Discipline holds, but it is fraying in the face of the terrible losses, the growing awareness of how huge the force arrayed against them is, the pestilential curse, the awful threat of slow torment and death at the hands of the Black Wind, the ragged edges of the Druj wards, and the pounding of the drums.

It would be easy for the Empire's finest to give in to panic, but their courage holds. In no small part this is due to the example of the Iron Helms. The Varushkans are no stranger to the fear that seeks to take root in the desperate soldiers. Many of them have faced it before, in the dark under the trees of their homeland. The Druj wield fear as a weapon, but so do the 'Helms.

Yet even their grim humour, their granite-hard morale, falters a little at the force arrayed against them. Near the edge of Therunin, near the ill-marked border with the Barrens, a huge force of Druj waits. At their forefront, the sable banners of the Black Wind flutter, adorned with cloven shields, broken weapons, scraps of armour, torn shreds of standard and surcoats and cloaks, flyblown bodyparts, all clearly taken from the soldiers who have died in Therunin. The gift of Kaela denies them the bodies of so many of their enemies, but does nothing to stop them taunting the surviving Imperials with proof of their wickedness.

The Black Wind are scattered through the trees, along with the assassins and stealthy skirmishes of the Deadly Blade and the Hidden Widow. More Druj lurk in the trees to the east and west, uncertain numbers of warriors ready to fall on the armies as they try to press north.

Then the drums fall silent again. A messenger – a sneering Druj wearing a torn cloak clearly taken from one of the fallen commanders of Isaella's Dance – approaches the Imperial lines. In an arrogant voice they announce that the Black Wind are minded to be merciful. If the Navarr and the Dawnish lay down their weapons and allow themselves to be taken, they will not be slaughtered. Rather they will be carried east, into servitude, as slaves of the Mallum, servants of the Druj, to work off the crimes of the Empire in the fields and the mines.

For the Varushkans, though, for the soldiers who butchered their elders, the folk of their sept left in the Barrens, there will be no quarter given. Each one will die scre-

The messenger's voice stops suddenly. They clutch at the arrow protruding from their throat with numb fingers. Drowning on their own blood they fall backward into the marsh, dead. It's not clear who loosed the arrow to silence the stream of hatred, but there are few who would criticise it.

The drums begin to beat again, the shouts and cries and screaming instruments drift through the trees. The Empire has given its answer, and the offer will not be made again.

It does not look good. Despite the sacrifice of Isaella's Dance, it is all too apparent that without a miracle, the Imperial presence in Therunin will end with a massacre.
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=IronHelms_Colour.png|align=right|width=300|caption=The first army to bear this name was sacrificed to preserve the [[Imperial treasury]]; it rose again six years ago. The army had a long history of subtle patronage from one of the [[Charnel Lord|dark powers]] of the north.}}</div>

==Onwards Through the Snow==
The Golden Sun, the Black Thorns, the Iron Helms. They gather close together, prepare their lines. The most heavily armoured face outward, forming a wall of steel and mithril against the Druj. Archers and spear fighters strike over or through the wall as the Imperial force presses toward the border.

The knights of glory roar their fury. The Golden Sun raise their voices in a single hymn to glory, to the strength of the Empire. The Black Thorns and the orcs of the Great Forest join their voices in a savage lament for the dead. The Iron Helms... the Iron Helms and the dead warriors that fight beside them remain silent, weighing the odds, considering their options.

The Winter spirits that fight alongside the Varushkans do not fear death, know that if their flesh fails they will simply find a new puppet and keep fighting. The mortal soldiers are not insensible as they are, but perhaps that gives them greater strength. They know what is at risk here. These are the elder children of Mother Varushka, of the land of monsters, of the haunted hills and forests darker than anything that the Druj know. They know that sometimes one must choose the lesser of two evils, that the road is rarely easy. Sometimes there are no good choices, and yet one must still choose. It is possible to do everything right, and still lose. The true, final test of the spirit is how one faces the darkness, especially when there may be nobody left to speak of it.

Their magicians reach out to the dark powers of the north, to the connection they have to the creatures that every Varushkan knows to fear. Since they were reformed, the Iron Helms have fought beneath the shadow of crows' wings, and with a great cry the birds take to the air. They soar above the trees, and the houndmasters and schlacta of the Iron Helms break their silence, sound their horns, and ''march''.

The birds lead the way, a cloud of feathers in the gloaming, swooping down like hunting hawks to tear at the eyes of the orc warriors. The hounds and their handlers howl, meeting the savagery of the Druj with equal bloodlust. Axes hew through enemies, collapse trees, smash makeshift barricades, cut through traplines.

Varushka sets the pace, but their fire spreads quickly to the Golden Sun and the Black Thorns. Some Druj are cowards – the kind of bully that instinctively fall back in the face of challenge. Sadly, the Druj are as afraid of their own masters as they are of the Iron Helms, and know that the Buruk Tepel will not hesitate to make an example of them if they show too much cowardice. So when they fall back, they quickly reground and return in force.

The Imperial troops pay a terrible price, and the lion's share is paid by the Iron Helms. Heavy as their armour is, doughty as they are, keen as their axes strike they are at the forefront and they face the full malice of the Druj. Yet the army is also bound around with Winter magic, a host of winter spirits fights beside them, and they slog through mud and blood, forging a path for their allies to follow, selling their lives as dearly as they can. They are cut to pieces.

Then, one by one, the fallen Varushkans begin to rise again. Not only those who fall in this final desperate push to escape Therunin, but emerging through the sleet from the south come many more dead schlacta, cabalists, hounds, and soldiers.

Perhaps it is the spirits summoned with Winter magic, perhaps it is [[Charnel Lord|something else]] but when one of the Iron Helms is slain, by spear or blade, they rise again. Their eyes burn with cold darkness, and they fight with a terrible fervour that gives even the Druj pause. They fight with unnatural vitality, and do not stop until they are literally dismembered or decapitated by the orcs. The soldiers and their hounds refuse the embrace of death for one final chance to hurl themselves at their foes.

It is a horror and a wonder, and it creates a chance. An opening to a future where the armies of the Empire survive this killing zone. The Druj begin to retreat, horrified by the abominations that fall upon them. Where weapons fail, the dead Varushkans use their bare hands and unnatural strength to rip their enemies limb from limb, pausing only to gorge themselves on the remains before leaping to the next kill. Even the Black Wind falter in the face of this dark miracle, this terrible Winter magic.

There are survivors who claim that there were other things, worse things, in the woods with them that night fighting the Druj, Ghoulish horrors in archaic armour not entirely Varushkan in style. Massive birds, with razor talons and too-clever eyes. Warriors with the aspect of wolf or rat or bat, neither human nor orc but some dreadful echo of beast and person. The woods are dark, as night falls, and terror roars through them as the armies clash, and it is hard to tell what is real and what is waking nightmare.

In the end, the Black Wind sound the retreat, falling back. The Imperial armies make it across the borders, into the forests of the Barrens, following by coincidence that same path the Gryphon's Pride took several months earlier.

Some Druj pursue, of course, but only a few hundred. Those Imperial soldiers who are last out, those bringing up the rear, and the scouts of the Black Thorns speak of how the Druj they have left behind are still fighting, even though the armies have crossed into the Bleaks. The dead Varushkans, and their beasts, continue to assail the orcs of the Mallum, making it impossible for them to pursue without leaving themselves vulnerable to an attack from beyond.

The rain falls more heavily in the Bleaks, but the water is clean and fresh. This is the best way to know that the armies have escaped Therunin... but not everyone has made it to the Barrens.

==The Highest Price==
Like Isaella's Dance, the Iron Helms have paid the ultimate price. No more than a few hundred Varushkans escape the Barrens with the Golden Sun and the Black Thorns. Over the next few weeks, a similar number of Navarr escape Therunin, many of them horribly injured or suffering the kind of spiritual wounds that mean they will never fight again.

The loss of life has been catastrophic. Twelve and a half thousand soldiers have been lost. Isaella's Dance, and the Iron Helms, have ceased to exist – although there is some evidence the Varushkans at least are continuing to fight in Therunin, albeit in an unrecognisable state. The Druj have surely paid a heavy price for fighting the Empire this season, but as always with the orcs of the Mallum it's hard to say exactly how many have been killed. Surely they must have lost thousands; the Iron Helms and the Black Wind fought a pitched battle and one does not walk away from a fight with furious Varushkans.

None of Eleonaris' knights leave Therunin; they fought and died alongside the Golden Sun. None of the walking dead leave Therunin – at least for the moment. The Spears of the Pines have been decimated, the orcs of the Great Forest suffering hundreds of casualties alongside their Navarr friends and allies.

The time for mourning, for recrimination, is in the future. For now the Golden Sun and the Black Thorns need to let the rest of the Empire know what has happened: both the unspeakably catastrophic loss, and the awe-inspiring courage of those who sacrificed everything to save their fellows.

==Game Information==
===Therunin===
* '''The Black Wind carried out a Merciless Onslaught in Therunin this season'''
* '''Isaella's Dance and the Iron Helms have disbanded'''
* '''Therunin remains uncontrolled'''
The Black Wind engaged in a [[Army_qualities#Cruel|merciless onslaught]] in Therunin this season. Two Imperial armies – Isaella's Dance and the Iron Helms took sufficient casualties to cause them to disband. While there are some survivors, these armies no longer exist.

The Druj have recaptured Eastring, and still control East Ashes. With the vallorn in control of Greenheart and Sweetglades, and the Navarr still in possession of Peakedge Song and the Upper and Lower Tarn Valley, no faction has majority control so the territory remains uncontrolled.

The temporary defences [[Army_qualities#Engineer|built by the Towerjacks]] before the Autumn Equinox are still in place, but their effectiveness is reduced. They act as a 500 strength fortification until the start of the Spring Equinox when they will have decayed to the point they no longer provide a bonus during the military campaign.

One possible piece of good news is that there has been no sign of the Tainted Basilisk in Therunin since the Autumn Equinox which means that the Druj will not be able to perform large-scale rituals in the territory such as [[Rivers Run Red]] or the creation of magical fortifications.

===Participation===
* '''Anyone whose military unit fought in Therunin this season has suffered grievous wounds'''
* '''The retreat has seen numerous spontaneous spiritual auras manifest among those involved'''
Any general of one of the armies here, and anyone who fought alongside their warband in Therunin this season (that is, players whose [[military unit]] was assigned to one of the armies here or is a [[general]] of one of the armies, and whose roleplaying involves them being personally present) has received a [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds|lingering wound]]. This will be included in your pack, and either represents a serious injury sustained in the battle, or the consequence of fighting under the effect of Rivers Run Red. If your roleplaying does not involve fighting with your military unit this downtime, then you can hand the traumatic wound back in to GOD. Without treatment, some of these wounds might eventually become life-threatening, so seeking out a [[Surgical skills#Physick|physick]] may be a top priority.

You may also choose to begin the event [[Combat#Terminal|terminal]] if you wish to use the epic battle in Therunin as a reason to retire your character (remember that there is no way to save a character who is terminal).

During the terrible escape from the Druj trap, a number of [[Aura#Spontaneous_Auras|spontaneous auras]] have manifested. Some of these auras will have been manifested by surviving characters, others will be on mementos taken from fallen comrades. You can request a spontaneous aura for your character, but the nature of the roleplaying effect it creates will depend on the motivation that created it. Any character whose military unit supported an army in Therunin can email e-mail [mailto:plot@profounddecisions.co.uk plot@profounddecisions.co.uk] and pick one of the motivations given here that is most applicable to your character, which will influence the ribbon created. You should also state whether you would like the aura to have manifested on a piece of armour or a shield (and which type), or on a piece of jewellery.

For those in Therunin we will create ribbons for those motivated by:

* ''A willingness to lay down one's life when fighting beside ones comrades''
* ''A commitment to do whatever it takes to protect the innocent from the Druj''
* ''The desire to end the threat of the orcs of the Mallum once and for all''
* ''A drive to stay alive no matter the odds''

You can pick whichever one of these four motivations most strongly motivated your character to receive the relevant aura. If you were driven by different motivations, then you won't receive an aura on this occasion.

==Conjunctions==
{{KaelaGift}}
{{SOP|by=Ivana Petara Vodjavic, Prosperity Assembly|statement=The Grendel and the Druj raid our territories, stealing our Prosperity and ruining our lands. We call on the teachings of Zemress, and encourage our corsairs, wagon raiders, reavers, and all truly prosperous individuals to strike hard, take back what is ours so that we may grow the Empire's prosperity and make ourselves safe.|vote=276-58|when=Spring Equinox 386YE}}
===Unseen Eyes (Forest of Ulnak)===
* '''A guard of Druj are preventing wagon raiders from looting a stockpile of goods'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''The ''Champion of Prosperity'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for killing the Druj'''
{{AgainstBarbarians}}
In the [[Forest of Ulnak]], just across the border with [[Ossium#Drownbark_Forest|Drownbark Forest]], is the homestead of the Varnalis. One of the many extended families of Druj that live in Grimfen Mire, the Varnalis are close to recovering from the raid on their [[Children_of_Wrecks#The_Thread_Burns_(Forest_of_Ulnak)|stockpile]] six months ago. Now, inspired by a [[386YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_67|judgement]] from spring this year, the wagon raiders that trade at the [[Merchant-Boyar_of_the_Stinking_Market#Stinking_Market|Stinking Market]] have a plan to get wealthy at the expense of the family once again which will also open the way for other [[wagon raider|wagon raiders]] to raid the Druj.

According to the wagon raiders, the Varnalis are expecting several wains of weirwood to arrive at one of their guard posts shortly after the solstice. If enough of the guards at the post are killed, then the wagon raiders can slip in, finish the rest, and loot the weirwood once it arrives. The wagon raiders just need someone to be responsible, and have asked the [[Champion of Prosperity]], '''Hugh Farrier''', to once again take the lead on killing the Druj. If that happens, then the wagon raiders will send four wains of weirwood to the Champion of Prosperity after the summit. Success will also inspire other wagon raiders to raid the Druj, meaning that the [[Merchant-Boyar of the Stinking Market]] will receive an additional 16 crowns this season from extra fees.

{{SOP|by=Lady Laudine du Lac, Dawnish Assembly|statement=The assembly recognises that leaving the empty lands in the Barrens to waste serves no one. We call on the Dawnish to settle these empty lands to bring prosperity and look for threats with vigilance in order to protect and uplift all those that live in the Barrens.|vote=264-54|when=Autumn Equinox 386YE}}
===Pitfalls and Tripwires (Salt Flats of Sanath)===
* '''A group of Druj are taking goods to the Dripping Market'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''''Lady Laudine du Lac'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for killing the Druj and claiming their wares'''
{{AgainstBarbarians}}
During the Autumn Equinox, the Dawnish Assembly voted to uphold a [[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_130|statement of principle]] by '''Lady Laudine du Lac''', encouraging Dawnish to settle the empty lands and look for threats with vigilance. The judgement did not achieve a greater majority, but some Dawnish still took their words to heart and looked with the Barrens for threats. One group of questing knights have gone beyond the borders of the Barrens, into the [[Salt Flats of Sanath]]. The knights have tracked a group of Druj in the process of taking goods to the Dripping Market hosted by the Skinweavers of [[Salt_Flats_of_Sanath#Beladrarsh|Beladrarsh]].

The questing knights have requested that '''Lady Laudine du Lac''', as the priest who raised the judgement, take responsibility for killing the Druj and claiming their wares. Anything that Lady Laudine du Lac and their allies can claim will, of course, be theirs; the questing knights wish only that the tale be told if it is glorious.
{{SOP|by=Neala Blackhawk, Navarr Assembly|statement=Brothers and Sisters of the Great Forest Orcs. Navarr will do everything we can to liberate our siblings the Druj have taken and bring them home. Navarr will work to remove the threat of the Druj from you, our family, and from the Empire.|vote=228-0|when=Autumn Equinox 386YE}}
===Promises to Keep (Therunin)===
* '''A group of Druj are guarding a captured treetender of the Great Forest Orcs'''
* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
* '''''Neala Blackhawk'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication|responsible]] for rescuing the treetender and returning them to Anvil'''
{{AgainstBarbarians}}
During the Autumn Equinox, the Navarr Assembly voted to uphold a [[386YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements#Judgement_192|statement of principle]] by '''Neala Blackhawk''', making clear that the Navarr will do everything they can do liberate those the Druj have taken from the Great Forest Orcs. The judgement did not achieve a greater majority, but some Navarr were moved by the words and sought out chances to rescue orcs of the Great Forest where they could. A dozen thorns of the ''Lonestalk'' striding managed to track down where one of the treetenders, those Great Forest Orcs who worked the weirwood groves of the [[Thimble]], has been taken and is being forced to work on rafts on the edge of the [[Therunin#The_Docks_at_Feverwater|Feverwater]]

The thorns are unable to free the treetender themselves, so they ask '''Neala Blackhawk''', as the priest who raised the judgement, to take responsibility for rescuing the treetender and returning them to Anvil. As the orc is not an Imperial citizen they will need to be enchanted with [[The Cuckoo's Egg]] in order to pass back through the Sentinel Gate. The thorns of the Lonestalk striding will then be able to take advantage of the disruption to claim several of the rafts and help any Navarr who [[Venture#Raid_the_Druj|Raid the Druj]] over the next season, granting an additional rank of production.

==Black Miracles (Battle Opportunity)==
The children of Mother [[Varushka]], the grim-faced schlacta of the [[Iron Helms]], are gone; brutally slain by the barbs and venoms of [[Not_to_conquer#The_Black_Wind|the Black Wind]]. The orcs from the Barrens, consumed by hatred, have taken their revenge for [[Ripples_and_shadows#Black_Wind|past assaults]], running down every Varushkan they could catch and slaughtering them without mercy.

Thousands of Iron Helms are dead, but the peace of death eludes them. The force marched under [[Quickening Cold Meat|a cruel winter enchantment]] that respects neither the sanctity of life nor the dignity of death. The army is no more, but the stony grasp of magic is not yet ready to release them from service. Their bodies are forced to rise from the forest to begin a macabre battle against any foe that comes within range of blade or claw.

For now, they are a problem for the [[Druj]], but should the Empire's enemies leave the territory, then these revenants will immediately turn on whatever threat they can find. They could become a terrible peril to Therunin and the lands around unless some way can be found to bring the magic back under control.

===Objective: Bind the dead in Eastring===
* '''Seize a chance to bind the restless dead of the Iron Helms'''
* '''Conduct a Varushkan hearth magic rite at the Stained Rock'''
* '''If successful, the undead horrors in Eastring can be commanded to attack the Sarangrave '''

There is a chance for Varushka to exert a level of control over the hordes of shambling corpses terrorising the marshes of Eastring. It is perhaps not the most palatable avenue to tread, but the people of the dark vales are used to making hard choices.

In life the Iron Helms swore oaths to serve their nation, to defend its interests and slaughter its enemies. Such [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Oaths|oaths]] have power, even in death, especially if those they swore to serve refuse to release them from their geas. If the people of Varushka return to the site of the massacre then they could perform a dark rite, drawing on the power of the oaths, binding the spirits with wards and compelling them to serve the nation even in death.

This is not a ritual for the magicians nor a ceremony for priests to conduct, though the rites might well resemble either or both these things. Hearth magic must be used to invoke the oaths sworn by the Helms, to force them to submit to the iron will of the rulers of Varushka. Few know how to [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Wards|create wards]] as powerful as the Varushkans, they know how to use [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Hospitality|hospitality]] to force even the most evil creatures to submit to their iron will. The soldiers of the Iron Helms may be slain, but even the dead may long for [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Home|home]].

The ritual rite must be performed at the Stained Rock, an ancient stone cut from the [[Granites of Veltsgorsk]] decades ago and gifted to strengthen the Navarri forests. The original gift has long since faded in purpose and power, but the grey stone still retains a symbolic link to the Varushkan home lands. The ritual could be led by anyone skilled at invoking Varushkan hearth magic, but the rite will be most powerful if the general of the Iron Helms and those who supported the army during their last stand are included. The army may be broken, but many things in Varushka continue to serve long after they are dead. [[Alderei the Fair]] had [[Laws_of_magic#The_Law_of_Dominion|dominion]] over the soldiers of the Helms in life, and may yet be able to command them in death.

If the Varushkans can wrest back control of the undead horrors plaguing Eastring, they could command them to attack the Druj in Sarangrave. That would ensure people across the territory are safe from attack by these ravenous winter spirits. The problems would be for the Druj and their people living in Sarangrave, making natural resupply there impossible until the horrors are dealt with or the magic of the ritual finally ends.

===Objective: Recover the standard of Isaella's Dance===
* '''The army's banner was lost during their final stand'''
* '''Recover the symbolic item and return it to the nation'''
The loss of Isaella's Dance to the Navarr is beyond compare. One further twist of the dagger is the army standard - ''Knife of Thorns'' - fell in battle and now languishes in barbarian hands. It represents those who gave their lives to fight the Druj and ultimately to defeat the vallorn. Even lost it serves as a reminder of them, a symbol of sacrifice, and [[Pride]] for the nation. If it can be recovered then the pale green gonfalon emblazoned with Isaella's blades would offer a glimmer of hope.

The guides and priests of the Navarr Assembly are best placed to decide what should happen with the banner, where it should be displayed and how. However, the nation will resist any attempt to raise a new army that carries the banner or bears the name ''Isaella's Dance''. One option would be to have the standard become an inspirational symbol of the nation's Pride. The Assembly are not the only ones who might be keen to recover ''Knife of Thorns''.

Some eternals are known to place great value in such objects and are prepared to offer boons to those who give them up. The ''Queen of Silence'', as [[Kaela]] is known to the Navarr, is obsessed with the ending of all things and she will surely be interested in this symbol of Isaella's final dance. If the Navarr cannot recover the banner, or it falls into the wrong hands, it may still end up traded to Kaela or one of the other great powers of the [[Realm#Winter|Wasteland]].

===Battlefield opportunity: Stop the Krollthorned===
* '''The Druj are accompanied by a coven of human ritualists'''
* '''In battle the coven will support the orcs with their enchantments'''
* '''Killing the coven early in the battle will deny the Druj of magical support in the fight'''
A coven of human winter ritualists from the eastern reaches of Sarangrave has been spotted aiding the Druj. Little is known about them - besides their coven name - but it is likely they serve a ghulai allied to the Palace of the Sleepers in northern Kroll. Targeting them will open up a chance to learn more about who they are, why they serve the Druj, and if they pose a wider threat to the eastern Empire.

Whilst they have the numbers to cast powerful rituals, individuals are focused on performing rituals to [[enchantment|enhance]] the prowess of individual orcs in battle. The coven will be continually supplied with mana and resources for their rituals, so eliminating them quickly will deny the Druj important battlefield support.

==Braided Dreams (Battle Opportunity)==
The soldiers of the Navarr, the thorns of Isaella's Dance move no longer, their spears no longer weaving a deadly trace in Druj blood. Their weapons are still, their bodies lie where they fell; pierced by arrows, skewered by blade, hewn by axe, or ravaged by toxins and foul ichors. The army rests silently, but not alone. Alongside them lie the dead and mutilated bodies of hundreds of Great Forest Orcs, foreigners first, then friends and allies at the last. They came to make Eastring their home, before the Druj arrived, and they fought shoulder to shoulder alongside the Navarr to defend it when it was threatened.

All that is left of them now is the memories of their deeds in the minds of those who still draw breath. The bodies should be left to moulder in Therunin, but if nothing is done then they will become offal for scavengers or carrion-eaters. The Navarr usually commit bodies to a simple cairn but there is no chance to do that here, with [[Therunin]] under the control of the [[Druj]].

There is a chance for the nation to create a powerful [[Navarr_culture_and_customs#Funerals|corpse glade]], one that spreads its calming touch over the whole of Isaella's Fall. Ensuring that Navarr funeral traditions are respected will help to strengthen the spirits of those who survive. A shared ceremony of remembrance and loss might even bind the Navarr and the Great Forest Orcs allies closer together.

===Objective: Braid the Peoples===
* '''Create a corpse glade at Isaella's Fall to protect the fallen'''
* '''The rite should draw on the Navarr hearth magics of braiding'''
* '''The Black Thorns and the Quiet Step will gain five hundred points of supply'''
* '''Involving the Great Forest Orcs will entwine them closer to the nation'''

The thousands of Navarr who gave their lives fighting the Druj in Therunin made the ultimate [[Navarr_hearth_magic#Self-Sacrifice|sacrifice]] to serve the nation. They did not die alone. The alliance with the Great Forest Orcs is still young, but the Spears of the Pines fought and died together as brothers and sisters, giving everything to defend the homeland the Navarr had [[Navarr_hearth_magic#Sharing_a_Meal|shared with them]].

The vates know there is [[Navarr_hearth_magic|power in these acts]] that is not defined by the limitations of [[Ritual_theory|ritual magic]]. They want to draw on that power to create a corpse-glade at ''Isaella's Fall'' to protect the bodies of the fallen from scavengers. The warriors of the Navarr and the Great Forest Orcs sacrificed their lives, creating [[Navarr_hearth_magic#Braiding|the chance to braid their souls together]] in this life and the next. What is needed is a rite, neither ritual nor ceremony but something that reminds every Navarr, living and dead, of [[Navarr_culture_and_customs#Tattoos_and_Vows|the vows they swore]] to fight together against the vallorn.

The solemnity can be performed by anyone who is skilled at invoking Navarr hearth magic, but it will help representatives from every part of the nation. By employing the deep magic of braiding, they can build on the shared sacrifice of the Navarr and their allies to bind them together in life and in death. The ceremony can also include marking with [[Navarr_hearth_magic#Tattoos|a tattoo]], the [[Varushka_hearth_magic#Oaths|swearing of new oaths]], or the [[Navarr_hearth_magic#Sharing_a_Meal|simple exchange of food]], all powerful ways to bind people together with a shared fate. If the rite is enacted, then the entire area at ''Isaella's Fall'' would become a vast corpse-glade, allowing the forest to reclaim the bodies of the dead in peace.

Knowing the bodies of the fallen have been properly cared for will help those Navarr who survived the battle at Isaella's Fall to regain their spirits. The army is gone, but there are some survivors, and they will flock to the banners of [[Navarr_military_concerns#The_Black_Thorns|the Black Thorns]] and the [[Navarr_military_concerns#The_Quiet_Step|Quiet Step]], resupplying each army with five hundred experienced soldiers.

If the Navarr chose to include the Great Forest Orcs in the observance, then it may also help to bind their allies closer to them. Just as the first dance of Navarr and Thorn formed the nation it is today, this could guide both the descendants of Navarr and the children of the Great Forest down ever-entwining paths. The power it invokes could turn the recent destruction and death, the burning of the Holt, and the flight from the [[Not_to_conquer#The_Black_Wind|Black Wind]] into a pivotal moment that brings both peoples closer together.

===Objective: Recover the Barrow Axe===
* '''The Barrow Axe, the regalia of the champion of the Iron Helms, was lost here when the army was slain'''
* '''The Axe is somewhere in the area or carried by one of the Druj'''
* '''The weapon could help Varushka to bargain for aid with one of the sovereigns of the iron north'''

The Iron Helms enjoyed a dark reputation for bloodshed that might turn the stomach. Stories are told of ''Hunger'', the artefact axe wielded by a champion of the Iron Helms since their founding. The relic weapon is held by the Malinov family of [[Karsk]], who flatly refused to return it when the army was reforged.

When the army was raised anew, the army's artisans pooled their resources to create a replacement, the ''Barrow Axe'', a new ironic symbol for the Iron Helms. This [[Ironbound Axe]], has been re-enchanted each year and presented to a soldier who had proved themselves in a brutal fight of contenders clad head-to-toe in armour but armed only with steel-shod fists. Asked if this brutal fight could be replaced with a more civilised selection, the answer was always ''"not if you want us to win"''. With each reforging the ''Barrow Axe''' has slowly begun to accumulate a reputation as dark as the artefact it replaced.

If the weapon can be recovered, it would be a powerful bargaining tool for the nation. Most of the sovereigns of Varushka would be eager to acquire such a brutal weapon. The Iron Helms are gone now and they will not return in this age, but the axe could be used to bargain in exchange for support for a new army. Should the blood-stained hewer be recovered, it will be down to the nation to decide who to petition and what to demand in return for this blood-soaked gift.

===Battlefield Threat: The Mirk Lizards===
* '''The Druj are joined by a group of human warriors clothed in scraps of tattered blue fabric'''
* '''They appear to be excommunicating rather than executing their victims in some circumstances'''
A band of human warriors march with the Druj into battle. Wearing tattered scraps of blue tunics, they have the demeanour of grim-faced and seasoned mercenaries, well-armoured and carrying an assortment of weapons. Next to nothing is known of them, but there are rumours that these warriors are driven to oppose the Way in some fashion. There are claims that priests among them have excommunicated foes on the battlefield, rather than executing them as the orcs might do. There is no known reason for their actions, or why the Druj allow it; so the war scouts urge caution. Killing them will put an end to their plans and stop their support for the orcs of the Mallum, but if more can be found out, it could prove useful in time to come.

The Brass Coast religious beliefs

2026-08-01T11:23:20Z

GuiltyConscience:

{{CaptionedImage|file=FreebornSutannir.jpg|align=right|width=400|title=Sutannir Karim I Hazana I Guerra of the House Hazana sect in a rare thoughtful moment.|caption= Freeborn religious beliefs emphasis celebration rather than sermonising.}}

==Overview==
Organized religion, in the sense of a study of doctrine or the creation of sites of communal worship is not common in the Brass Coast. This reflects their history - the motivation for the [[The_Brass_Coast_history#The_Exodus_from_Highguard|exodus from Highguard]] was not just to escape from the venal corruption of the patricians but also to leave behind the confines of the ascetic religion being pushed by the Highborn chapters. The founders of the nation were passionate idealists; they rejected the austere religious practices of Highguard, believing that people should be free to celebrate all the joys of life.

Still, it is wrong to think that the Freeborn are neither devout nor virtuous. Rather than study or debate the virtues, they try instead to embody them in their lives. ''"The Urizen think it, the Highborn believe it, we '''live''' it"'' is a common Freeborn retort to those who mistake their impiety and irreverence for a lack of virtue. In particular the Freeborn prize [[honesty]], the ideal of a life lived openly and without shame. Many see embracing a virtuous life as the essential prerequisite to achieving a state where you can be honest about the things you have striven for and the things you have accomplished.

==Dust, Flame, and Glass==
The Freeborn believe their people are shaped from the elements of dust, flame and glass. The eternal wind-blown dust of the plains is their history, the loyalty for family and continuity of their people. The ferocity of flame is their burning passion for life and their bright and unquenchable spirit. The purity of glass is their soul, the reflection of their transparency and once broken can never again be mended. Dishonesty and wickedness shatter your soul and pieces of it are lost with each act of deception.

This belief underpins a very personal relationship with matters of faith and the spirit, one that is rarely articulated directly outside of poetry or song. Much of the Freeborn understanding of spirituality and religion was shaped by the philosophy of the founder [[Riqueza]], further honed by those who [[Tribe#Embracing_Riqueza|followed in her footsteps]]. As a result, Freeborn religious ceremonies place their emphasis on celebration rather than sermons. They celebrate sacred festivals with entertainment, feasting, parties and dancing. Coal-walking, fire breathing, fire dancing and other symbolic performances that represent the Freeborn passion for life are always popular. Priests keep their words short and evocative, knowing their audience wants to be inspired to act virtuously rather than lectured.

Many families include a devout priest or spiritual family member who can be relied on to oversee these indulgences, but for large or important festivities the Freeborn often seek out the services of a [[sutannir]]. These priests embody the Freeborn ideal that the way to follow the path of Virtue is not to preach it but to live it. Rather than deliver sermons on the virtues, they encourage others to ''experience'' them first hand and where some priests will affect a sombre or serious demeanour, sutannir are renowned for encouraging people to celebrate Virtue. In addition to leading important ceremonies such as a coming of age or a wedding, some sutannir make a living organizing spectacular celebrations and festivities that are designed to bring the whole community together to recognise some great accomplishment or other act of virtue.

<quote by="Elina the Wayfarer taken from Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 24BE">Last night, Ramak invited me to what he said was a religious ceremony. This morning, my head is pounding and I will never eat again. We did not talk about Courage, but we danced on fire. We did not contemplate Prosperity, but we enjoyed the finest things from many lands. We did not read about Pride, but sang the songs of our homelands till our throats were hoarse. I can attest the Freeborn care deeply about the fate of their souls – but they just do not speak of it as we do. </quote>

==Orthodoxy==
The Freeborn have great respect for the [[Paragons and exemplars|paragons]] and [[The Way|the Way of Virtue]], but they have little time for the priests and [[Synod]] that exist to mediate – or dilute - their message. The Synod, with its [[The Doctrines of the Faith|doctrines]] and [[Schisms and Heresies|heresies]], is often seen as being full of pomposity and self-importance, whereas a truly faithful person understands what is true and what is false in their soul. Rather than look to the [[Assembly#The_National_Assemblies|Freeborn Assembly]] for edicts and guidance, people expect them to embody the ideals of virtue, to lead by example, and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

The view of most Freeborn is that following the Way is simple but challenging. Simple in the sense of being uncomplicated - few Freeborn believe the virtues need much in the way of explanation or commentary. The tenets can help identify what is truly virtuous, but attempts to seek deeper meaning or complexity are viewed with suspicion, especially if they appear to be self-serving. Such sophistry is seen as an attempt to obfuscate simple truths so as to justify a failure of virtue.

People fail to act virtuously, not because the Way is hard to comprehend, but because it is challenging to live up to the ideals it lays out. If you practice [[honesty]], if you can be honest with yourself, then you already know what the virtuous path is, the difficulty is in having the moral fortitude to act on your beliefs. Thus the role of a priest is not to tell you what to do, but to help you find the strength to do what you already know to be right. The celebrations of the sutannir are not simply an expression of the virtue of [[Prosperity]], they serve to reward the virtuous and thereby encourage others to emulate them.

==Heterodoxy==
More so than any other Imperial nation, the Freeborn tend to be open to the idea that as long as someone isn't hurting anyone, they should be free to believe what they want. This speaks to a problem that has dogged the priests of the Brass Coast since the foundation of the Empire. The Freeborn prize liberty above all things, it is the founding ideal of the nation. They often cite the line from the [[Imperial Constitution]] that guarantees ''"dignity, freedom, and prosperity"'' to all citizens - and they laud [[Emperor Ahraz]] as the greatest [[The Throne|Throne]] of all for his emancipation of the [[Imperial Orcs]].

As a result, the Coast has often struggled with outbreaks of the spiritual force known variously as [[Malign_spiritual_presences#Anarchy|Anarchy or Freedom]]. During the [[The_Brass_Coast_history#The_Empire|founding of the Empire]], sutannir who embraced Freedom were among the vocal opponents of the [[First Empress]] and her grand vision. They saw the Empire as a machination of the [[Highguard|Highborn]] priesthood, seeking to enforce their limited view of virtue on all humanity. Even the Freeborn who followed other virtues were concerned that the way of life they had established might be swept away. To address those fears, the [[hakima]] of the Brass Coast created the [[egregores]] and convinced the nascent Empire to adopt them. Support for Anarchy was largely suppressed in the Coast after the first Synod forbade it - but not without bloodshed.

It has resurfaced many times since then. For example, those priests who had never completely given up on the virtue of Freedom were buoyed by what they saw as the success of [[the Orc Rebellion]]. In 324YE this inspired Crescencia i Marusa i Riqueza, a sutannir of [[briar]] lineage, to begin openly urging her followers to live their free of the restraints of law and authority, without the need to be inhibited by the disapproval of others. She attracted large numbers of followers which ultimately led to the events of the [[Freedom Heresy]]. Her eventual capture and execution on charges of [[Religious_crime#Blasphemy|blasphemy]] was broadly supported by the Freeborn Assembly, though it was noted that they picked their words with great care, criticising Crescencia for the failures of [[Freedom_Heresy#The_fall_of_Montane|Montane]] and the death of her followers, rather than dwelling on her heretical views.

To this day, a belief in the enduring ideal of liberty remains common throughout the Coast and many Freeborn have been passionate opponents of slavery. Janeia i Zaydan i Guerra was a regular foil to [[Emperor Frederick]], a friendly rival who switched between heated debates on the need to free orc slaves and denouncing the Emperor in the Synod. Scholars point out that some of the arguments in the early chapters of ''Anarchy and Liberty'' are either founded on, or clear refutations of, Freeborn arguments about the need for a person to be "free to choose virtue" and that slavery as a consequence is an unforgivable crime against the soul. Unsurprisingly, [[Emperor Ahraz]] enjoyed the support of the abolitionists in the Brass Coast, especially among the priesthood, although he sometimes had to distance himself from their more zealous outbursts during the orc rebellion.

The last prominent Freeborn to be executed for blasphemy relating to Anarchy was Liliana i Hora i Riqueza who had been the [[Conscience of the Senate]] for a year in the time of [[Emperor Hugh]]. She admitted to her devotion to Freedom when confronted on it by the [[Gatekeeper]] of [[Vigilance]] on the steps of the Senate. When challenged at her [[inquisition]] as to why she had kept her beliefs hidden for so long she only laughed at the court and said ''"If we were looking to hide our devotion, we wouldn't call ourselves the Freeborn"''. If any Freeborn priests are devoted to the malign presence of Anarchy today, then they are careful to keep it hidden well away from the prying eyes of the Synod's inquisitors.

==Reincarnation==
Many Freeborn take a relaxed view of the [[The_Doctrines_of_the_Faith#The_Doctrine_of_Reincarnation|Doctrine of Reincarnation]]. A popular old tradition says that those lost at sea take new form as dolphins who will guide and guard lost ships. While few claim to really believe it these days, it is a stock element in many stories involving sea travel. When questioned on it, the Freeborn tend to shrug - does it really matter if it's true?

This response reflects their view of the Labyrinth more generally. The Freeborn accept that human souls reincarnate; but they often argue it is a mistake to obsess over it. The teachings of [[Riqueza]] - generally held to be the first [[sutannir]] - said that ''"nobody is born virtuous"''. The inference is that what you did in your past lives is unimportant - all that counts is what you do in this life. One should focus on living an honest and laudable life, guided by the virtues, and let reincarnation look after itself. Freeborn might leap at a chance to experience a past life vision - who knows what such an experience will bring or what knowledge it will reveal? But few put much importance in who they were in a previous life - what matters most to the Freeborn is who you are now.

Perhaps as a result, most don't see death as a reason for sorrow. Death is usually [[The_Brass_Coast_culture_and_customs#Funerals|mocked as a figure of fun]] and funerals are treated as the final opportunity to celebrate the life of the deceased.

==Feast of the Broken Wheel==
<div style="width: 500px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;"><quote by="Luca i Taziel i Riqueza, Brass Coast Assembly, Summer 384YE, Upheld (184 - 0 Greater Majority).">Pride conveyed by words alone is vain boasting; proclaim it by how you conduct every part of your life. Those who embrace the Festival of the Broken Wheel should demonstrate their Pride in this traditional festival by donning a white head scarf, robe or similar. We send Luca i Taziel i Riqueza with 25 doses of liao to urge Freeborn citizens to dress in such a way that everyone knows who is celebrating the Festival.</quote></div>
Sutannir try to support as many celebrations in the Brass Coast as possible. However, there is one festival they do not endorse: the Feast of the Broken Wheel. Known by many as Fool's Day, during this festival the Freeborn turn virtue on its head and celebrate the contrary. The festival takes place on the second day of the Autumn Equinox, and starts at sunset and lasts until midnight. The proud become humble, ties of loyalty may be ignored, the prosperous become ascetic and the wise act as fools. It is a time of foolishness, pranks and trickery that begins with a symbolic chase, where effigies of the paragons are chased from the camp in a gleeful and chaotic parade. Everyone is encouraged to try harmless skills like juggling and music – the more terrible the performance the more it is applauded. On Fool's Day, even the most moral Freeborn try their hand at telling untruths and lies - often with comical degrees of success.

The festival is considered blasphemous by some, but it has never been condemned. However during the [[384YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements#Judgement_165|Summer Solstice 384YE]], the Freeborn National Assembly passed a [[mandate]] in response to [[To_see_what_you_sell#Breaking_Wheels|the concerns of the Zemress Islanders]] and others. Since then everyone taking part in the Broken Wheel is strongly encouraged to wear a white piece of clothing for the duration, often a white headscarf, hood, or tagelmust, but in many ways the more white the better. White cloth is always avoided in the Brass Coast, wearing undyed cloth suggests the wearer cannot afford exotic dyes. It fits with the Festival of the Broken Wheel, since the point of the festival is to turn traditions on their head, and it also serves as a good way to distinguish those who enjoy the festival from other Freeborn who find it distasteful.
{{CaptionedImage|file=BrokenWheel.jpg|width=900|title=This whimsical effigy of Aldones de Sarvos simultaneously pokes fun at that paragon of Ambition, and at Varushkan traditions, but is all meant in good humour.|caption=The Feast of the Broken Wheel is as exuberant as it is irreverent.|align=center}}
{{Brass Coast Links}}

Urizen leadership

2026-08-01T11:23:09Z

GuiltyConscience:

{{CaptionedImage|file=Urizen Senator.jpg|caption=The Senators of Urizen are selected for their magical ability<br>and for their cleverness.|align=left|width=300}}
==Overview==
Magic is seen as a mark of a rational and learned mind and more importantly as the most powerful tool that an individual or group can wield. The Urizen maintain that those who best understand the world are the ones best suited to lead it, and they look to their most powerful mages for leadership. Every citizen is encouraged to learn a little magic, whether it is practical spellcasting or superior craftwork, but ritual magic, the mastery of the lore of the [[realms]], is regarded as the highest calling.

Most Urizen [[spires]] appoint an arbiter whose role is to resolve disputes, and represent the spire to others. Traditionally the individual who is deemed to demonstrate the most complete [[Arete]] is asked to take the position. In most spires this will be the wisest and most skilled mage, but a martial spire is more likely to choose a weapon-master than a magician.

Although arbiters are expected to provide leadership, they are usually chosen by, and serve at the pleasure of the members of the spire. In effect they are ''"[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares first among equals]"'', no more or less powerful than any other member of the spire, but accorded respect owing to the importance of their responsibilities. This same principle is applied to ''anyone'' in a position of authority, especially those with an [[Imperial title]], whether they're Urizeni or not. Politics is a popular topic of discussion and debate among the spires, and few Urizen would balk at the idea of politely asking someone to explain the reasoning behind their decisions whether they are an arbiter, a [[senator]], or [[the Throne]] themselves. Senators in particular, are expected to be answerable to their fellow magicians and they can expect to be challenged on the progress of any public commitments they have made.

There is little history of open military conflict between Urizen spires. Cooperation between neighbours is the norm in Urizen, but disputes between spires whose councils differ on political, social or ideological grounds are commonplace. Even before Urizen joined the Empire, such conflicts were almost always settled through debate, often with the assistance of a judge or mediator from a neutral spire.

Urizen are passionate about politics. Being able to debate competing points of view and achieve consensus is seen as a high art form that raises humans above animals. It also makes civilised people superior to barbarians who practice brute force approaches to leadership. The Imperial Senate is held up as a great triumph of the Empire, although they are often disappointed by the way the other nations choose to exploit the Senate, especially how they pick their Senators.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Martin Buber"> There are three principles in a person's being and life, the principle of thought, the principle of speech, and the principle of action. The origin of all conflict between me and my fellow-people is that I do not say what I mean and I do not do what I say. </quote> </div>
==Truth==
Urizeni politics prides itself on being based on [[Urizen hearth magic#Truth|truth]]. Not the brazen honesty of [[the Brass Coast]], but the certainty that comes from dealing with past and current events as they are rather than as one might wish them to be. The Urizen expect a high degree of transparency from their political leaders whether they are the [[arbiter]] of a spire, or the [[senator]] of an entire [[territory]].

The [[torchbearer|torchbearers]] are a well-established political movement committed to the idea of truth and accountability. They are dedicated to uncovering the truth about important events - both current and historical - and sharing their findings to as many people as possible. They adhere to a philosophy that suggests the only way to ensure the Empire remains "honest" is to ensure that the citizens are kept informed of what is going on around them, so they can make sensible decisions and appoint virtuous Senators.

==Leading a territory==
Urizen senators are elected as the culmination of the demos, a gathering of Urizeni citizens that takes place at Anvil for the purpose of discussing the challenges facing the nation and debating the best way forward. The structure and format of the demos bears striking similarities to the format of the Imperial Conclave, a reflection of Urizen's role in its creation. It usually begins on the afternoon of the first full day of the summit; the egregore of the nation will announce the opening of the demos and call the citizens to order.

The purpose of the demos is for the assembled citizens to agree on a set of resolutions that they wish to see their senators achieve. To achieve this, any arbiter of a spire in the territory may present the egregore with a single dictum they wish the demos to consider. A dictum should be in writing and given to the egregore no later than an hour before the demos is due to start. The egregore curates an agenda from the list of suggestions they have been given, merging any duplicate ideas. Usually the egregore will serve as the chairperson for the meeting, but occasionally they will delegate to a civil servant or a trusted citizen who has demonstrated the capacity to be fair and unbiased to run the demos.

Each dictum must be in the form of an action or outcome that the new senator is expected to try achieve. Thus a dictum might call on the senator to commission a port in Apulus, or disburse funds from the Imperial treasury to buy mana for Urizeni magicians, but the egregore would discount a dictum calling on Urizen to commit funds to support a new fortification. The egregore will usually invite whoever submitted the dictum to speak first, giving them a chance to make their case. They will then call on other citizens to support or rebut the dictum, but each citizen is permitted no more than a single minute to speak on each dictum, and no citizen can speak more than once on a single dictum. It's expected that each speaker will add something to the debate; citizens who use their minute to simply agree with other speakers are often criticised for wasting time.

Once each debate concludes, the magicians from the territory who are present indicate their support or opposition by raising their hand with the issue decided by majority vote. In the case of a tie, then a dictum is considered to have failed to gain the support of the demos. It is not possible to change the wording of a dictum raised to the demos - the vote is always to either support or reject the dictum as written - another reason that brevity and clarity are considered ideal.

The demos concludes once all the dicta have been voted on. At this point, all candidates for the senatorial position are expected to present themselves. Most Urizeni expect their senator to be a resident of the territory they are standing for, but there is no legal requirement for that to be the case. Only Urizeni magicians from the territory may vote. While the candidates formally announce themselves at the conclusion of the demos it is much more usual for them to do so before it begins - so that they can then use the demos as an opportunity to canvas for undecided voters.

The egregore then goes through the list of dicta that the demos has supported asking the candidates if they will pledge to enact them or not. Candidates are not given any time to debate a dictum at this point, since they have already had an opportunity to explain their stance on any given dictum to the demos. They must either commit to enact the dictum or reject it.

Once it is clear which candidate supports which dicta there a final vote to select the senator. The candidates spread out and every magician from the territory present indicates their support for their preferred candidate, usually by moving to stand behind them if they are physically comfortable doing so. Only magicians who are present at the demos can vote - but it is fine for a magician who needs to remain seated to ask a colleague to register their support for their chosen candidate on their behalf. Only magicians who have not voted in another Urizen senatorial election in the past year may participate in the vote.

The candidate with the most votes is duly elected. The dicta are displayed after the election in the Hub for any citizens to view and when the summit is over a written record is then made of the dicta that the winning candidate committed to. The expectation is that the senator will be able to explain what they are doing to achieve these policies or be able to show that they have advanced them.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Redoubt is elected at the Summer Solstice, the senator for Morrow is elected at the Autumn Equinox, the senator for Zenith is elected at the Winter Solstice, and the senator for Sarangrave is elected at the Spring Equinox. When Spiral was an Urizen territory, its senator was elected at the Spring Equinox.

===Foci of the Silver Flame===
The Silver Flame of [[Spiral#Cinion|Cinion]] are foreigners who have pledged to provide each of the Urizen senators with a [[:category:foci|foci]] once a year. The foci is received the season after the senator is elected, and can be used to enhance a ritualist's knowledge of a specific realm for the performance of a single ritual each day. The Silver Flame will continue providing these rings for as long as the Silver Flame are recognised as foreigners, and Spiral is not an Urizen territory.

'''OOC Note:''' The newly elected senator should email {{plot}} before downtime closes after the event they are elected, and choose which realm they want the ring to benefit.
{{CaptionedImage|file=DariusIsScheming.jpg|caption=Those who best understand the world are best suited to lead it.|align=right|width=300}}
===Incumbent===
The current Urizen senators are listed below - see the individual territory pages for a full election history for each position.
* [[Morrow]] - {{#lst:Archive:All_Election_Results|Senator_for_Morrow_occupant}}
* [[Redoubt]] - {{#lst:Archive:All_Election_Results|Senator_for_Redoubt_occupant}}
* [[Zenith]] - {{#lst:Archive:All_Election_Results|Senator_for_Zenith_occupant}}
* [[Sarangrave]] - {{#lst:Archive:All_Election_Results|Senator_for_Sarangrave_occupant}}

==Prominent Spires==
A list of well-known spires who have attended Anvil in recent years can be found [[Urizen groups|here]].
==Dicta==
After the demos, once the dicta are agreed, they are copied down by the [[egregore]] and the Civil Service. Copies of these are posted up in [[Anvil#The Hub|the Hub]] for all to see, and commonly distributed to Urizen citizens who do not attend Anvil but have an interest in their nation's politics. The winning candidate is expected to stand by the commitments enshrined in the dicta, as per the Urizen ideals of [[Urizen hearth magic#Truth|Truth]].

===Spring 388YE===
In the election for '''[[Sarangrave]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Bartimaeus'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Spring 388YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>Will you engage with the orcs of the Sarangrave in a fair and equitable manner that benefits the people of Urizen and the nation as a whole?</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>

===Winter 387YE===
In the election for '''[[Zenith]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Delara of the House of the Wanderer'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Winter 387YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The candidate sears to work alongside the architects of Urizen to help relieve the national debt.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
In the election for '''[[Sarangrave]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Bartimaeus'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Winter 387YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>Do you agree to be guided by the national assembly in how best to approach the problems affecting the Sarangrave?</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Summer 387YE===
In the election for '''[[Redoubt]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Thalia of Netherwatch'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Summer 387YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The Senator gives assurance they will work towards helping to raise funds to repay the raising of the Argent Sword.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator agrees to hold at least one hour per summit as an office hour where they will be in a known location in Urizen to talk to the people of Redoubt.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Winter 386YE===
In the election for '''[[Zenith]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Herminius of the House of the Wanderer'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Winter 386YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The Senatorial Candidate will ensure the commencement of the construction of the new mountain to house the displaced spires of the Arch of the Skies.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>I agree to start building the beneficiary of the Golden Cascade within this term of office.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Autumn 386YE===
In the election for '''[[Morrow]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Sejanus of the Scarlet Guard'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Autumn 386YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>To appoint a proxy from outside their spire or citadel: to train and encourage them; to grant them one motion of their own design, advise them on it, and prepare them to present it.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator commits to the building of a fort in Morrow within the year.</td><td>No</td>
<tr><td>To build at least one improvement to the infrastructure of Morrow and ensure that appropriate Senate funding is sought.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>To maintain harmonious relations with the Marches, I give my assurance I will endeavour to support Marcher interests in the Senate where not in conflict with the interests of Morrow, or Urizen as a whole.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator for Morrow commits to do all in their power to secure the Arch of the Sky as an Urizen National Bourse seat.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Summer 386YE===
In the election for '''[[Redoubt]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Thalia of Netherwatch'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Summer 386YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The Senator gives Assurance that they shall seek an appraisal that would increase Spiral’s prosperity and give Urizeni a reliable voice in its future.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator gives Assurance that they will help educate Senate on magical matters and Conclave, and to speak on these in Senate when relevant.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Winter 385YE===
In the election for '''[[Zenith]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Herminius of the House of the Wanderer'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Winter 386YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The Senator will make every effort to build the fort in Lustri and the Gardens of Pallas by securing funds from various sources</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>As they have no voice of their own, the Senator will agree to be a voice for the Urizeni residing in Spiral</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>Spire Starsong, and all of the other spires within the Arch of the Sky, have been through enough. The Senator for Zenith promises to NOT build the Southern Skyways, neither touching the sky nor a road in the sky. We refuse to have our homes reduced to rubble again.</td><td>No</td>
</table>
===Autumn 385YE===
In the election for '''[[Morrow]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Laelius Archsky'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Autumn 385YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The senator commits to aiding in a suitable recompense to the Urizeni for the ceding of Spiral to the League</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>Urizen will soon be at war with the Grendel. The senator commits that they will use one or more of their motions on measures that will support the nation in the war efforts.</td><td>No</td>
<tr><td>The Senator will ensure information from Spiral including spy networks is disseminated around Urizen</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The candidate will commit to opposing any notion of a lasting peace with the Druj nation.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator agrees that the buying of votes is unacceptable behaviour.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator agrees to take action towards acquiring a new territory for Urizen.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>Food uneaten. Coin unspent. Magic uncast. Opportunity squandered. If my motion ever goes unused I will step down.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The Senator will pursue fully any available opportunity to see Spiral returned to Urizen.</td><td>Yes</td>
</table>
===Winter 384YE===
In the election for '''[[Zenith]]''', the following dicta were agreed at the demos. The winning candidate was '''Cadeus'''.
<table class='wikitable mw-collapsed mw-collapsible sortable'><tr><th>Winter 384YE Dictum</th><th>Agreed?</th></tr>
<tr><td>The senator for Zenith commits to the construction of the Crucible of Fate.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The candidate commits to reform the Demos process in conjunction with the Arbiters Council, to increase the engagement of the Demos with the senator candidates views.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The senator of Zenith agrees to commit to building the Eye of the Heavens, or, if this is unachievable, will at least consider rebuilding the observatory in the Arch of the Sky. They will consult the nation's astronomancers throughout the process and will aim to have either built within the year.</td><td>Yes</td>
<tr><td>The senator commits to the construction of the Radix of Truth within the term of their tenure.</td><td>No</td>
<tr><td>No matter who is elected today they must agree to not support Bohemond de Rondell’s bid for the throne. He has said, and I quote; “If I become Throne Urizen’s ambitions will die on the senate floor "</td><td>No</td>
</table>

{{Urizen Links}}

Mitwold

2026-08-01T11:23:01Z

GuiltyConscience:

{{CaptionedImage|file=RegionsofMitwold.png|caption=The households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry.|title=Regions of Mitwold|align=left|width=500}}
==The Pride of the Marches==
Mitwold is arguably the richest of the Marcher territories. There's gold in the soil of Mitwold - the gold of rich harvests of fruit and grain. It has a substantial coast, scattered with small fishing villages and the occasional lonely watchtower. As one moves further inland, the rocky coast gives way to fertile chalk-soiled downs, with rich game-filled woodland, large [[farm|farms]], and prosperous [[market town|market towns]] beyond. The largest settlement in Mitwold - indeed in the Marches - is the "town" of [[#Meade|Meade]], standing proudly at the mouth of the river that shares its name. More a small city than a town, Meade is in some ways the beating heart of the Marches.

When the other nations imagine the Marches, it is usually Mitwold they bring to mind - acres upon acres of well-tended fields and orchards, laid out like a grand patchwork blanket, scattered with villages connected by roads and dirt tracks. Here and there a lonely menhir watches over the land around it, often marking a point of historical interest, or serving as a meeting place for the [[landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the adjoining area.

This is also the territory where many of the best known [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs#Sports_and_Games|ball games]] are played, and it is a regular occurrence for some local dispute to be settled over a savage game of rugby, foot-the-ball, or rounders. Some of the traditional inter-village or inter-household games go back centuries, having become regular fixtures long before the foundation of the Empire. Many have their own traditions - the people of Parkestown and Harwich in the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] compete annually to determine the control of a prime stretch of grazing land between their two villages, for example,

More than anywhere else in the Marches, the [[Marcher household|households]] of Mitwold are engaged in feuding and bitter rivalry. The closer two households are to one another, the more likely it is that they are engaged in a long-running feud. Often the original cause of the feud is lost to history, having become a self-perpetuating state of affairs as each slight delivered by a rival becomes justification for the retaliation that follows. These feuds rarely lead to bloodshed - it is a rivalry of skinned knuckles not bloodied knives.

==Recent History==
Mitwold's history has been comparatively peaceful. Bregasland and Mournwold provide a buffer, protecting it from the martial ambitions of the [[Jotun]]. That is not to say it has been without incident; several times in pre-Imperial history the people of the Marches were at war with the people of [[Wintermark]]. Lonely menhirs and stands of ancient trees along the northern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]] and [[#Meade March|Meade March]] mark ancient, largely-forgotten battlegrounds. From time to time, stories circulate of unquiet spirits around some of the barrow mounds - bitter Wintermark warriors interred in Marcher soil.

For the most part though, Mitwold has enjoyed the benefits of being a relatively safe place to live, secure in its prosperity - or as sure as any agricultural territory reliant on good harvests can be.

The [[March on their belly|disastrous failure of the Autumn harvest]] in 379YE was followed by a particularly [[March on their belly#Resolution|harsh winter]] during which all the farmers of the Marches suffered significant losses in order to keep the Imperial armies marching. Then the Spring 380YE planting was hit with torrential rains and a vicious blight that devoured many of the seeds before they can be put in the ground. While the rest of the Empire was enjoying a burst of [[The prime colour of the world|vitality and fertility]], the farms of Bregasland, Upwold, and Mitwold were once again labouring under the yoke of a vicious magical [[curse]] that ruined the crops, sapped the life from the beasts in the fields, and spread sickness and hunger wherever it touched.

The plan to construct the ''Imperial Breadbasket'' began in the markets of [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]] and received immediate support from [[market town|market towns]] across the Marches. Led by the people of Meade, the alders put their hands in their pockets - not as an act of charity, but as recognition of the fact the Marches prosper when the farmers prosper. It was an investment for the future, as well as an effort to "darn the rip" between the folk of the market towns, and the rest of the Marches. As a result, shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE, work was completed on a network of granaries and storehouses across Mitwold as part of the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#Granaries and Storehouses - the Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] [[great work]]. In addition to its work in securing the future of the Marches, this has helped to improve relations between the yeomanry and the residents of the market towns - reinforcing that even though they do not till the soil, they are still Marchers.

Shortly before the Autumn Equinox 380YE, an earth tremor struck Mitwold, its epicentre near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]]. At first, the effects seemed minor - a little damage to some of the buildings in Wayford - but shortly after creatures similar to [[ogre|ogres]] began to appear in the area. Investigations by Marcher heroes discovered that the cause of the raids - if not the earth tremor itself - was an unnatural creature, buried deep beneath the earth. "Bloody Jack" appeared to be some sort of horrible troll creature, no doubt the source of the local legends of Jack-in-Chains. The entity lay at the bottom of an old stone-choked well, bound with magical chains - chains that had been damaged in the earth tremor and were close to breaking completely. The creature remained a threat to Mitwold until the Summer Solstice 381YE. With the [[Under_the_red_sky#Tharim|aid of the Winter Archmage]], several brave yeofolk made a bargain with the sinister [[eternal]] [[Tharim]], allowing the subterranean beast to once again be bound tightly. Several foolish youths tried to gain access to the troll-creature's tomb in search of treasure, but such expeditions were decisively curtailed by the placement of the Pale Chain, a white granite stone that now blocks the entrance to the well.

The business with Bloody Jack also brought to light stories of the Marcher blacksmiths - legendary figures who combined a practical appreciation for metalwork with a calling for negotiating with eternals. These capable individuals disappeared from the Marches as the result of a deal with the Autumn eternal [[Estavus]], and so long ago they were largely forgotten. Several Marcher scholars [[Bregasland and the smiths#The Marcher Smiths|looked into the situation]], and worked to secure the return or release of this uniquely Marcher tradition - a possibility that was [[Smith|recently realised]].

==Points of Interest==
<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;">{{CaptionedImage|file=Marcher Finery.jpg|caption=Bridget Talbot served as Senator for Mitwold in the difficult years after the death of [[Empress Britta]].|align=right|width=300}}</div>
=== Meade ===
The largest settlement in the Marches is the city (technically a [[market town]]; it received its charter from [[Empress Mariika]] in 225YE) of Meade in [[#Meade March|Meade March]]. Crowded around the mouth of the eponymous river on the shores of Westmere, Meade is not only the spiritual and administrative heart for the nation, it is also a port whose ships deal in fishing, trade with foreign nations and sea defence against the barbarians through Westmere and the cold salt waters of the Gullet.

Meade is where yeomen from across the Marches come to spend hard-earned coin, and often plays host to foreign visitors from other nations. The lavish week-long Harvest’s End Festival takes place in Meade every autumn, and sees the city fill with folk from all across the Empire. Still, Meade is not without its problems. Some yeomen look askance at the citizens, questioning how they can be ''proper'' Marchers given they live in a town rather than on a farm. To many of their critics, they are merchants, not true yeomen. They point to the scandal during the reign of [[Empress Giselle]] when several alders were implicated in a plot to secede from the Marches - a plot that never had much popular support but whose existence alone was enough to rekindle rumours that the folk of Meade are "not proper." At the same time, the alders of Meade know that their settlement is not even half the size of the great cities of [[the League]], and this can lead to efforts to try and compete with the [[The_League_leadership|merchant princes]] of [[Tassato]] and [[Temeschwar]] with predictably disappointing consequences.

Still, regardless of the past and the attitude of some suspicious yeomen, the people of Meade are Marchers through-and-through. They are practical, stubborn people who hold fiercely to the [[The_Marches_culture_and_customs|traditions]] of the Marches. As their recent involvement in the formation of the Imperial Breadbasket demonstrates, when push comes to shove they look out for their own people - the people of the Marches.

In the wake of the death of [[Empress Britta]] in 376YE, semi-organised groups of bandits began to prey on traders travelling by land from Meade. By [[Town defences|order]] of the [[Senate]], in early 377YE a series of watchtowers and earthworks were constructed around Meade to help address this problem. The works were overseen by Bridget Eastville née Talbot (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. While the defences are not sufficient to qualify Meade as a true [[fortifications|fortification]], they have already helped reduce brigandry throughout the territory.

The [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] has a small office in Meade, although most title holders spend little time there (apart from overseeing the security of the grand market on the third weekend of each month). The Bailiff is an [[Imperial title]] appointed each Winter Solstice by the farmers of the Marches.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Forte Fidelis.jpg||caption=Built by Richard Tunstall to guard Mitwold from Jotun aggression.|align=right|width=350}}
===Forte Fidelis===
In 377YE '''Richard Tunstall''', as the [[Imperial Master of Works]], approved the creation of Forte Fidelis in Golden Downs. It was one of only two castles approved by the Master before the Senate [[Amend_powers_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works|removed their ability to do so]]. Construction was funded partly by the Master's stipend (before it was removed by the Senate), and partly by money raised and donated by the Marchers themselves. Work on the fortification was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 378YE.

The fortification was completed while the [[Accept_Jotun_ceasefire|Jotun ceasefire]] was still in place as a counter to Mitwold's perceived vulnerability to attack from the Mournwold, once hostilities inevitably resumed. Surrounded on all sides by a deep moat, accessible only by a relatively narrow bridge. the castle has yet to see combat. It takes its name from the [[Languages#Latin|Old Asavean]] motto of the Talbot household - "forte et fidelis." Following his retirement from Imperial politics, Richard Tunstall still serves as the castellan, ensuring that the castle is prepared for any potential invasion of Mitwold.

=== Hay ===
“The golden fields of Hay” appear in many a Marcher song. Hay is quintessential Marches, a small rural town set amongst rolling fields. Following the invasion of the Mournwold, the folk of Hay were been deeply concerned about the threat of further orc aggression. Several locals have formed themselves into the Hay Irregulars, an unofficial force dedicated to helping turn back the barbarians should they attempt a concerted raid. The Irregulars served with some distinction fighting off small bands of raiding Jotun, before the Mournwold was finally liberated in Autumn 381YE.

Hay is rightly famous for its fields of wheat, and for its bakeries. Many of the farmers of the [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] bring their grain to market here, where a significant portion of it is used to make flour and bread products including the famous "Hay Huffer" - a crusty triangular bread roll with a thick, doughy texture designed to fill the bellies of labourers across Mitwold and beyond.

=== Wayford ===
A large market town at the confluence of the upper tributaries of the Meade. A layer of gritstone in between the chalk of the wolds means the river is wide and shallow, allowing livestock from the hills to cross, or embark on riverboats to Meade itself. Built along the southern borders of [[#The Meadows|the Meadows]], it is a bustling settlement known for its travellers' inns and for its monthly cattle and sheep markets. Merchants visiting Meade pass through Wayford, as do Marcher traders exporting food and drink to the wider Empire. The town is quite cosmopolitan - there is a large transitory population of [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]], [[the League|League]] citizens, and [[Navarr]] coming to Wayford to travel.

All this prosperous trade attracts its fair share of trouble, and the [[Bailiff of the Grand Market]] is regularly called upon to deal with bandits and brigands preying on trade along the roads that pass through Wayford. At the river fork stand several gibbets with a long and bloody history, notable in recent years for playing host to Red Walder and his outlaws, a plague on the Mitwold for many years finally brought to justice in 359YE following a week-long standoff in the Shepford Brewery near the Wayford Bridge. The town is also notable due to legends of a monstrous creature known variously as [[Jack of Irons|Jack-in-chains]], Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack who is said to be buried somewhere nearby. Shortly before the Winter Solstice 381YE, a menhir of white granite called [[#The Pale Chain|the Pale Chain]] was [[Construct_Giant's_Well|raised]] over the site where the giant is apparently entombed.

=== The Maiden Stone ===
An ancient menhir that stands in a scorched area of land in a grove of ash trees. Every year before the Spring festival the farmers of the area weave the largest straw dolly known in the territories. The Straw Maiden, as the creation is known, is 12 feet tall adorned with wild flowers with intricate patterns of vines woven into her skirt. The Maiden’s skirt is hollow at the base and she is placed atop the stone. The [[Landskeeper|landskeepers]] of the [[#Maiden Downs|Maiden Downs]] then perform a night-long ritual designed to bring prosperity to the fields and flocks of the people of the Downs. The Maiden then stands in the grove until the end of Summer, visited by travellers who leave gifts of food, [[The_Marches_hearth_magic#Poppets|poppets]], minor trinkets, and other offerings at her foot in the hope that she may bring them some small favour. Although the Maiden is exposed to all weathers and temperaments, she does not rot, blow away or decay in any way, staying as fresh and brightly golden as the day she was placed upon the stone. Then, at the festival of Autumn Harvest there is another ceremony, the culmination of which sees the Maiden set alight, burning until there is nothing left.

Needless to say, the ceremonies of the Maiden Stone are roundly criticised by priests of the [[Synod]]. There have been efforts by priests from outside the Marches to ban the practice, denounced as the worst kind of [[Religious_crime#Idolatry|idolatry]]. The [[Sevenfold Path]] has occasionally attempted to get the [[Conclave]] to [[Declaration#Declaration of Interdiction|interdict]] the ceremonies without success. In 186YE and 247YE, the ceremonies were stopped for a short time but in both cases resumed less than a year later.

The landskeepers of Meadow Downs claim that they are simply performing the three powerful farm-blessing [[enchantment|enchantments]] ([[Blessing of New Spring]], [[Strong Ox, Golden Sun]], and [[Gathering the Harvest]]) and that the gifts left by visitors are simply a harmless tradition. There is some evidence that the landskeepers also perform a rite in the depths of Winter without any witnesses; lurid speculation surrounds this ceremony.

===The Pale Chain===
The Pale Chain is a hulking monolith of white granite from [[Upwold#Sutton_Stone_Quarries|Sutton Stone Quarries]] raised near the town of [[#Wayford|Wayford]] shortly after the Autumn Equinox 381YE. The looming rock is engraved with a spreading oak tree above a three-link chain, giving the menhir its common name. Some rumours suggest there is a second engraving on the bottom of the stone, allegedly in the form of a peculiarly proportioned lion. The construction was plagued with problems and vocal accusations from some of the workers that the project was cursed. One of the skilled masons responsible for shaping the stone lost her arm as the stone was lowered into place, and many of those working on the site muttered in hushed tones of similar unlikely "accidents".

The Pale Chain covers the well where the ravenous giant known as "Bloody Jack" apparently lies forever entombed. The site is watched over by a handful of yeomen from [[The Marches groups#House_Guildenstern|House Guildenstern]] in [[Upwold#Stock_March|Stock March]] - something that has raised some hackles in Maiden Downs. There are also reports of a peculiar pale figure, wrapped in chains and with unpleasantly inhuman features, lurking near the stone on moonless nights - many believe this is one of the heralds of [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Tharim|Tharim]] that came to the Marches via the winter [[regio]] known as the [[Hunters_and_wolves#In_the_Copse_of_the_Bone_Birch|Copse of the Bone Birch]] in [[Upwold#Birchland|Birchland]]. According to local stories, if one approaches the stone on such nights and presses one's ear to the ground, a low rumbling voice can be heard from deep in the earth ranting and raving about thieves and liars. Local children have already begun daring one another to approach the stone and test this story out.

===Statue of Cockscroft Lad===
In 385YE, [[Siakha]] heralds [[When Spring comes|attacked]] a Wanderers-Allfriars game, killing thirty-two. '''Jonathan Piper of Cockscroft''', whose early warning prevented wider tragedy, is celebrated with a statue at the old Wanderers practice ground. His expression is mournful, head turned to the name-covered ball in his left hand as he raises a bell to call the hue and cry.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Householder.jpg|width=250|align=left}}

==Regions==
===Golden Downs===
The rich farms of Golden Downs are home to the prosperous village of [[#Hay|Hay]], as well as a number of smaller farming villages. It is also the location of the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields#The Silent Giant|Silent Giant]] standing stone that watches over the surrounding fields, and is in turn watched over by the [[Keeper of the Golden Fields]]. Several other stones mark the old boundaries of one farm or another but the Silent Giant is the largest.

For the last three decades, the Golden Downs has been in a state of war-readiness, expecting an invasion from the Mournwold - indeed the Jotun raided north into the region many times over the duration of the occupation. Citizen militia such as the Hay Irregulars prided themselves on their readiness to fight off such raids, even in the absence of organised Marcher armies. Many [[military unit|independent Marcher captains]] cut their teeth taking [[Military_unit#Take_Independent_Action|paid work]] protecting the rich farms of Mitwold. The need for such special forces was reduced significantly in 377YE when the [[Imperial Master of Works]] approved the creation of [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in Golden Downs.

During the Jotun invasion of the Mournwold in 349YE, many of the citizens of [[Mournwold#Green March|Green March]] fled north to the Golden Downs; a long history of good relations and familial ties between the two regions helped to mitigate any negative effects of this influx of landless yeomen. Unlike many of the Mournwold refugees the majority of these former refugees show little interest in returning to reclaim the land they (or more often their parents) lost three decades ago.

===Maiden Downs===
The Downs are covered in a patchwork of wealthy and prosperous farms. Some outsiders attribute the success of the farms here to the magic of the [[#Maiden Stone|Maiden Stone]], but the yeomen who work the land here disparage such suggestions. Rather, they point out, their farms are prosperous because they work bloody hard to keep them that way. Still, the [[Landskeeper|Landskeepers]] of the Maiden Downs have a reputation for being a little peculiar, and to be significantly more secretive than those in the rest of the Marches - almost ''[[Bregasland|bregas]]'' in the words of some.

There are no large settlements in Maiden Downs - not even along the highway that links [[#Wayford|Wayford]] to [[Upwold#Stockland|Stockland]]. Farmers are as likely to sell their produce in either town, depending on which is paying the better price in any given season. This has led to a few feuds between households of Maiden Downs and those of Golden Downs and the Meadows over what is seen as "''a lack of loyalty to Mitwold''."

===Meade March===
*'''Quality:''' City, Coastal
Often called the heart of Mitwold, Meade March is the location of the small city of [[#Meade|Meade]], built at the mouth of the river that shares its name. Meade is prosperous, and its port bustling, and since the [[Dredge the Westmere|dredging of the Westmere]], the waters are now deep and wide enough to allow passage to an [[navy|navy]]. Before the Westmere was dredged the alders of the city occasionally discussed how dredging the river would allow the construction of a [[shipyard]], but there was never enough support for such a large-scale undertaking. With the river dredging complete there is now discussion on whether a shipyard will be built after all, or at least a [[fortification]] given that Meade is now potentially at risk of being sacked by a barbarian navy.

Outside of Meade, the Meade March is covered with farms and scattered villages, and even a few small towns. The yeomen here have a somewhat undeserved reputation in the rest of the Marches for considering themselves "''better''" than everyone else because of their proximity to Meade - of giving themselves "''airs and graces''". A common stereotype that appears occasionally in plays and stories is that of the Meade yeoman who farms their field wearing a rich outfit, more suited to a feast day than a work day. There is little factual foundation to this prejudice - although many yeomen of the Meade March visit the city at least once a season and thus have access to a significantly wider array of goods and cloth than residents of more isolated parts of the Marches.

===The Meadows===
While most of this region is rolling farmland, the northern Meadows abuts the [[Kallavesa#Wittal_Grove|Wittal Grove]] of [[Kallavesa]]. The woodlands are home to at least one group of [[Feni]], but for the most part the Meadows is a peaceful, pastoral place. Before the Empire, however, there were occasional clashes between Marchers and raiders from Wintermarker along the border, and the northern woodlands still have an unsavoury reputation as being haunted.

South of the border, the forests that once grew in the Meadows were cleared centuries ago. Here and there between the farms however, a lone tree stands as a boundary marker and a silent reminder of a time when much of the Meadows was covered in trees. These so-called ''Lone Oaks'' are reminiscent in some ways of the menhirs found in other parts of the Marches. According to tales told across the Meadows, in the first years of the Marches the northern woods were home to terrible monsters who regularly attacked people trying to settle north of the Meade river. Eventually, however, a wily blacksmith made a deal with the ruler of the monsters. The creatures would leave the settlers alone if in return the Marchers stopped cutting all the trees down. In the end the Marchers had the last laugh however - they cut down almost all the trees leaving only a scattering of Lone Oaks - but by the careful wording of the agreement the monsters were unable to harm the people of the Meadows as they had kept to the letter of their bargain.

In addition to its farms and eerie trees, the Meadows is also well known for its [[herb garden|herb gardens]], especially in the north. In particular, the quality of [[True Vervain]] grown in the Meadows is generally held to be unmatched in the Marches. The herbalists of the Meadows are known to make occasional pilgrimages north to Wittal, in Kallavesa, to share lore and trade herbs.

===Oddmire===
*'''Quality:''' Coastal, [[#Under Threat|Under Threat]] (Jotun) when the Jotun control [[Bregasland#Ottermire|Ottermire]]
When the Marchers first arrived in Mitwold, Oddmire was extremely marshy. Several decades of work reclaimed most of the region, despite the best efforts of angry [[marshwalkers]] to stop the draining of the swamps and marshes. There are still some treacherous bogs in Oddmire, especially along the southern and western borders with Bregasland, but the majority of the region is fertile farmland. As is traditional in the marches, there are large numbers of farms here, but there are also a few more isolated communities built on the small, rocky islands that lie along the southern shore of the Westmere.

The most prominent settlement here is assuredly '''Odd’s End''', a bustling fishing port. The fisherfolk of Odd's End are known to have something of a chip on their shoulder when it comes to the larger, more prosperous Meade. They fly their banner - a leaping salmon - proudly whenever they set sail and barely a year passes without a major row between fisherfolk from Odds End and boats out of Meade over fishing grounds. A well-respected monastery - Odd's House - stands near the port, dedicated to the virtue of [[Pride]], and the monks there regularly encourage the people of Odd's End to stand up for their rights against the larger Meade.

Beginning to rival Odd's End in prominence is '''Steward's Landing'''. In early 384YE, Imperial heroes [[By_fountains,_by_fishes#Steward.27s_Landing|stopped a Jotun raid]] from destroying this small coastal village. ''Jarvey "Strongoar" Oddsboy'', the steward of the small [[Marcher household]] who oversees Steward's Landing repaid that aid by throwing his full support [[By fountains, by fishes|behind the ambitious raids]] into [[Skallahn]]. By all accounts Jarvey and the rest of House Oddsboy did quite well out of [[Take it further|both raids]]. Part of his profits were put towards expanding Steward's Landing, and along with several fellow coastal stewards, they turned the village into a permanent staging post for Marcher [[fleet|ship captains]] - such as they are - to raid the coastline of Kalsea and [[Fleet#Raid_Kalsea's_coastline|take the wealth]] of the [[Jotun]]. The loot that passes through Steward's Landing has helped fund addition jetties, a boatyard, and expanded the prestige of House Oddsboy significantly.
<box>'''Odd of Odd's End'''<br>
Odd of Odd's End is a popular folk hero from the early days of the Empire, born around 45YE. She was an outspoken devotee of the virtue of [[Pride]], and in later life founded the [[monastery]] that still bears her name. Settling her folk on the shore when the Marchers first reached the Westmere, declaring that this would be the place where she would end her days, she was instrumental in the draining of Oddmire among other significant deeds. A series of stories, popular with Mitwold's mummers, recount the many deeds of this folk hero, especially her battles against marshwalkers, and her rivalry with the alders of Meade.<br><br>Despite her popularity, there has been no serious effort to have Odd recognised as an [[Paragons_and_Exemplars#Exemplars|exemplar]] by the [[Synod]]. When the matter has been raised, the abbot of Odd's End generally shrugs and responds with a variant of "We know she's an exemplar, why should we look to outsiders to confirm it?" Regardless, "Mother Odd" was recognised as an exemplar of Pride in 376YE, shortly before the requirements for [[recognition]] were made stricter. This appears to have had little effect on the people of Odd's End.</box>

==Special Qualities==
===Under threat===
* '''Oddmire'''
During the Winter Solstice 384YE, the Jotun worked with Marcher traitors to expand and reinforce the Otterway in Bregasland. Formerly a narrow raised track that could just about allow two ox carts to pass one another without falling into the fens, it is now a solid construction that would allow twenty soldiers to march abreast along it... into Mitwold.

'''Game Effect:''' While a region has the ''Under threat'' quality, the Jotun and their allies are considered to have a [[beachhead]] in that region. This means their armies will not suffer the usual penalty to take the first region in an enemy territory, as long as they are attacking a region with the ''under threat'' quality.

{{Senate Elections|Senator_for_Mitwold|Territory=Mitwold|Season=Summer}}

==OOC Notes==
* As of the start of the Summer Solstice 388YE, the Marches control the entire territory. Mitwold is an Imperial territory.
* [[#Forte Fidelis|Forte Fidelis]] in [[#Golden Downs|Golden Downs]] is a rank one [[fortification]].
* [[farm|Farms]] in the territory benefit from the [[The_Marches_economic_interests#Granaries and Storehouses - the Imperial Breadbasket|Imperial Breadbasket]] and the Black Canal and produce an extra 72 rings each season.
* [[Business|Businesses]] in the territory benefit from the Black Canal and produce an extra 36 rings each season

==Further Reading==
* [[Where the slow river flows]] - 388YE Spring wind of war about the effort to push the Jotun from their toehold in the Meadows and start reclaiming Meade March
* [[Rose grow the rushes o']] - 387YE Winter wind of war about the Jotun invasion of Oddmire and Meade March

<ic>Ned shook his head, feeling the wounds under the brigantine. "The gambeson and the brig are holding everything closed Henry. Without the full services of the hospital in Anvil I won't be able to close them fast enough if we take it off. I'm so sorry my friend."

Henry Talbot sat with his back to the tumbled wall of the burnt out homestead, sweat plastering his dark hair to his forehead.

The flush of vigorous life had faded from his cheeks during the escape from the barbarians, but mischief still sparked defiantly in his eyes. Sun beat down and wisps of steam made thin halos about their heads. "Nothing you could have done Ned. Thank the boys for carrying me all this way... How long do you think?"

" It could be an hour, or as short as you..."

Ned paused as he reached into his pouch of herbs. A decade of hunts made him grab instinctively for his pike, the mating cry of a Bregesland Dove in the wrong season could only mean one thing.

"Cullach-A-Cullach!" Sounded to the right, accompanied by a gurgling squeal. A moment later two Orc scouts and a human slave burst from the bushes in front of them. Ned brought the pike to bear, but not fast enough.

The smaller of the two orcs, face split with a recent wound, shoved the slave into the pike and drove her body onto the shaft. Ned drew his dagger, but the orcs were on him before the sword was free. Not relishing the prospect of a standing fight they rushed forward and bore Ned to the earth.

In a flash decision Ned dropped the dagger, grasping the wrist holding a rusty knife and breaking the nose of the second Orc. Broken Nose rolled away from the melee, streaming blood and curses, while Split Face and Ned struggled over the knife.

Suddenly Henry was stood astride Split Face, Ned's dagger in hand. With a butcher's confidence he sliced Split Face's neck to the bone, drenching Ned in ichor.

Ned held fast to the rusty knife, taking it from unresisting hands. As he cleared his eyes Ned heard Henry grunt and the tip of a blade emerged from his stomach. Henry toppled and Broken Nose stooped over the to pull the notched sword free.

Roaring in fury, Ned kicked Split Face's body off and launched himself forward. The notched sword was trapped and useless between them, allowing Ned free reign with the rusty knife...

Ham came to check on them once the rest of the orc scouts were disposed of. Ned sat beside the ashen body of Henry Talbot, truly still now that he had begun his journey through the labyrinth. The remains of a human and two orcs lay in the remains of the herb garden. Not a word passed between the Cullach, just a look and a nod.

With great care they removed Henry's harness and hid it up the chimney of the homestead, suspended from the meat smoking hooks. Ham took the small antler handled knife from Ned's shaking hand and cut Henry's warm heart free from his chest. Ned knelt and filled Henry's mouth with Marcher soil, replaced in the oiled pouch by the heart. They closed his eyes and pushed the remaining wall of the homestead over him.

The fallen stones would conceal him from desecration and keep him from scavengers. Now they had to move on, their burden heavier than a dying friend.

"Rest well Henry Talbot, your march is done."</ic>

[[Category:The Marches]]
[[Category:Gazetteer]]
[[Category:Imperial Territory]]
[[Category:Jotun]]

Emperor Barabbas

2026-08-01T11:22:51Z

GuiltyConscience:

{{CaptionedImage|file=Emperor Barabbas.png|caption=Artist's impression of Emperor Barabbas by '''Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra'''|align=left|width=400}}
===Reign: 180YE to 199YE===

===Called: ''the Mariner''===

====Early life and Election====
Emperor Barabbas was a [[Highguard|Highborn]] man who grew up hearing stories of [[Atun]] and [[Atuman]] and became obsessed with the sea at an early age. He was a charismatic, strong-willed man who developed a following in the [[Senate]] while serving as one of the Highborn [[Military Council|generals]]. In his mid-thirties he parlayed his reputation and various alliances into a political career, and eventually to the Throne.

Writers of the time described him as surprisingly open and friendly; he undermined the stereotype of the dour Highborn, without ever giving the impression of being impious. During his life he was praised for his [[Ambition]], [[Pride]] and [[Prosperity]], although as the theologian Bishop Eulaile de Tassato is said to have remarked after his death "He was as brave as he was ambitious, as proud as he was prosperous, and as wise as he was able to regurgitate whole lobsters."

====Reign====
Barabbas was elected in a time of expansion, and while he served adequately as the director of the land armies, his real desire was to extend Imperial control over the entire Bay of Catazar. At this time the [[Grendel]] were particularly active, launching several concerted raids against the southern coast of the Empire.

Barabbas spent a fortune funding exploration, pouring money into the coffers of the [[The Brass Coast|Freeborn]] shipbuilders. He sought to build a powerful [[navy]] capable of conquering nations overseas, to spread the Empire to [[Iron Confederacy|Surann]], [[Skoura]] and ultimately to destroy the threat of the barbaric Grendel by conquering [[Bay_of_Catazar#The_Broken_Shore_and_Attar|Attar]]. He soon realised that he lacked any real skill as a shipwright, but that did not stop his raw enthusiasm for the mariner's art infecting those around him.

He supported the Freeborn expansion into Segura, but his focus was not entirely on the Brass Coast; he encouraged mariners and sailors of all nations to look beyond the borders of the Empire. He was not solely a warmonger, despite some attempts by his political enemies to paint him as such. He actively encouraged trade with foreign nations whose attitudes and politics were not entirely opposed to those of the Empire. A number of trade routes that still exist today were established by Barabbas' pioneers. He also encouraged the Senate to spend money expanding many settlements with good harbours - [[Madruga#Siroc|Siroc]], [[Sarvos]], [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]], [[Sarvos#Trivento|Trivento]] and even [[Bastion]] all benefited from his maritime spending.

While his enthusiasm allowed the Empire to build a solid fleet, his failure to conquer Attar destroyed the majority of the Imperial warships as well as the fortunes of many of those he had convinced to invest in his ambitious project. Since then the Senate has shied away from any naval projects on a similar scale.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Hakima.jpeg|width=300|align=right|title=Bakar i Erigo|caption=[[Death_of_a_salesman#Something_Old|A fragment of Barabbas' flagship]]}}

====Death and Legacy====
Today Emperor Barabbas is perhaps best known for the manner of his death. He was lost when his ''Barabbine fleet'' ran into stormy seas two days south of [[Feroz#Joharra|Joharra]], resulting in the first, biggest – and most expensive – naval disaster of Imperial history. Their intention was to build a foothold on Attar and begin a war of extermination against the Grendel.

The enduring legacies of his reign are the naval defences along the Bay of Catazar, and the ships of the Freeborn [[corsair|corsairs]]. The Freeborn took shameless advantage of his generosity towards all things maritime, using the endowments and investments he encouraged to build the solid core of Freeborn ships that defend the bay to this day.

Highborn [[Highguard_history#Archivists|archivists]] point out that his reign also saw a renewed interest in expanding the borders - and an awareness that the Empire did not exist in a vacuum. Relations with [[foreign nations]] improved dramatically during his time on the Throne, for example.

Emperor Barabbas rests uneasy beneath the sea; the memorial obelisk that bears his name in the [[Necropolis]] sits above an empty chamber. Over the years after his death three distinct stories about his end began to circulate. In one, Barabbas is born again as an albino (or black) dolphin who aids stranded mariners in the Bay of Catazar. This story is likely fanciful, and a development of the more traditional stories about dolphins told to Freeborn children.

The second story suggests that Barabbas, denied burial, is unable to pass through the Labyrinth and instead continues a tortured existence as a restless shade. According to rumour this ghostly spirit has visited Emperors, Freeborn dhomiro and Highborn generals to warn them of raids along the coast by the Grendel and other enemies of the Empire. No reliable evidence to support this claim exists.

Finally, there is a story that Barabbas' flagship, the ''Basilisk's Daughter'', was attacked at the height of the storm and dragged beneath the waves by a [[Mundane beasts#Kraken|kraken]] of tremendous size. Given that two-thirds of the fleet was lost in the storm, some eye-witnesses certainly survived, but this story did not come to the attention of Imperial historians until some thirty years after the Emperor's death, making its provenance suspicious.

Only one of the ships that set sail with Barabbas survives today; the ''Lazy Basilisk'', an inn on the quayside of [[Sarvos]] is made from the remains of the last surviving remains of the ''Barabbine fleet''. It is believed to currently be owned by one of the wealthier (and most secretive) [[The_League_culture_and_customs#Reckoners|reckoner guilds]]. Perhaps unfairly, to this day, to call a ship a “Barabbine tub” is a grave insult to the ship’s crew, and is often thrown at a Freeborn corsair crew by jealous [[The League|League]] rivals.

==The Invasion of Attar==
In Winter 378YE, [[historical research]] was commissioned regarding "the naval campaigns of Emperor Barabbas". The key part of the resulting report was made publicly available on the instructions of Leontes the Scribe, the Imperial Archivist, after the Autumn Equinox 382YE.

According to the report, the invasion of the Broken Shore by the Mariner in 199YE is considered by scholars to be a low point in Imperial military history. All the accounts of the Emperor agree that he was charismatic, gregarious, and inspiring – but regrettably this leadership did not translate into military effectiveness. The few surviving records imply that there was relatively little attempt to assess the true fighting strength of the Grendel before the construction of the navies began. There is a surviving copy of the speech by Barabbas to the Imperial Senate that strongly implies that matching Grendel navy for navy would be sufficient for the Empire to triumph.

"''... no army that walks the earth is a match for an Imperial force.''" he said. "''Our great destiny, laid down by the First Empress, carries our soldiers to victory. No force of war will deny us our triumph. I propose to raise navies – one for each of the great cities on the Bay of Catazar. We will match their strength on the waves – but they cannot match our spirit. So we will fall on them like a storm and destroy them utterly.''"

One of Barabbas' chief opponents in the invasion scheme was the Freeborn general of the [[Red Wind Corsairs]], Estarna i Sirta i Riqueza. Estarna openly criticised the Emperor's plans citing superior Grendel naval experience and shipbuilding skills. These criticisms were not well received by the Emperor – or the Senate that backed his plans. In 198YE Estarna was removed by the Emperor who [[The_Throne#Defender_of_the_Empire|took his seat]] on the Military Council. Despite this, Estarna remained a thorn in the Emperor's side – he was called on twice to speak in the Senate where he openly ridiculed the planned invasion citing a shortage of intelligence and predicting disaster.

"''This plan we are being asked to consider is the work of a child.''" He said during his second speech. "''Saying it does not make it happen. We have no idea of how many armies the Grendel possess – what forces await us once our troops land. Every throne has been spent building fleets – nothing remains to pay for the spy networks, informants, and turn coats we need. Wars are won by reconnaissance, not by pretty ships. This wave of ignorance will drown us all.''"

Records of orders issued by the Imperial admirals show that the three navies intended to remain close together as they sailed around the Bay of Catazar, with the intention to anchor off the coast eighty miles west of [[Bay_of_Catazar#Dubhtraig|Dubhtraig]]. The general assumption is that the Military Council had agreed to begin a conquest here – but of course records of what they planned for future seasons never occurred after their plans were wrecked by the great storm.

Sadly there are no complete descriptions of the fate that befell the vessels. It is certain that there was a storm – all five of the accounts by mariners traveling with the vessels that survived agree on this point. However while four of the accounts imply that it was the storm that wrought destruction, the final account clearly identifies Grendel warships nearby waiting to pounce. The popular account of the incident has made little mention of the involvement of the barbarians so this may have been nothing more than a figment of this final author's fears.

Whatever their involvement in the sinking of the Barabbine fleet, the Grendel were clearly not content to leave it there. They quickly destroyed the Imperial docks at Siroc and Sarvos with ferocious lightning attacks following the loss of the great navy. Presumably they planned to capitalise on the loss of so many Imperial ships, perhaps to ensure that surviving vessels could not be resupplied. Perhaps not however, since they chose to leave the final shipyard at the Necropolis – it remained untouched by the war and was only dismantled two years later as part of a grudging peace settlement with the Grendel.

[[Category:History]]
[[Category:The Throne]]

The DOOM that came to Sarvos

2026-08-01T11:22:31Z

GuiltyConscience:

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:383YE Autumn]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>The priest collapsed to his knees clutching the murderer's dagger that pierced his breast, the last dregs of life draining from his face. He gasped twice and then with his last breath he pointed dramatically to the wide stone pillar beyond the alter. As he fell forwards dead, grim red letters began to magically appear on the pillar...

"Virtues, these things are melodramatic!" said Gincenzo loud enough to be heard.

"Shussh!" his companion hushed him.

The letters D... O... O... M... appeared in dripping blood on the pillar spelling out a single word - doom.

"I'm just saying is this really the best they could come up with?"

"Shussh!" said half a dozen people around him. "It's topical!" hissed his companion.

"Topical? It's trite is what it is!"

Two members of the audience in front of him turned round and glared at him. The look on their faces was considerably more alarming than the playwright's piss-poor story about some watery doom that was coming for Sarvos and he sunk back into silence.

Gincenzo was unmoved by an implacable force of evil hell bent on the destruction of everything that made life dear, but he didn't fancy his chances against a couple of bravos with too much cheap wine in their belly.
</ic>
==Overview==
At the Summer Solstice 383YE, mortal agents acting on behalf of the [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Skathe|Hag Queen]] found a way to inflict a terrible curse on Sarvos - simultaneously shattering every mirror in the Jewelled City. The curse destroyed every shard of silvered glass to be found anywhere. It was not just the countless elegant wall and vanity mirrors found in every wealthy Sarvosi home that were attacked. The Hag Queen has struck directly at the city's Pride, destroying the mirrors installed on every roof that once made Sarvos famous throughout the world. The city no longer glitters in the sun; the jewels have been shattered.

Replacing the mirrors is no easy business. The cost to replace so many mirrors is eye-watering, but in theory they could be borne by private citizens. Sarvos is one of the wealthiest cities and the people are nothing if not ambitious. But mirrors created and installed over five hundred years cannot be replaced in five hundred days. Glass making is a skill that takes years to learn and the assorted glass-making carta in Sarvos jealously guard their secrets and protect their supplies of high-quality sand even more. As a result the cost of mirrors has rocketed. Wealthy citizens are paying a Throne's ransom for a small handheld mirror, while poorer citizens are having to make do with a bowl of water.

To add insult to injury, the source of this terrible curse, the location in Caricomare where this bitter magic was unleashed is now a twisted place; a [[Regio|site]] of despair and hunger.

==Averting the Doom==
* '''There is an opportunity to define what Sarvos will become'''
Folk legend has long held that if the mirrors are shattered then the city will surely fall. No-one ever imagined such a thing might occur but now that this doom has come to pass, many citizens grow fearful. Most knowledgeable magicians believe that this legend is nothing but superstition, but a few point out that there are powerful hearth magics tied up with mirrors. Mirrors are important in creating, defining, and revealing identities, which are important in magic. Has the character of Sarvos been destroyed along with her mirrors? It is hard to reassure people that the worst is passed.

Rituals are performed and then repeated over and over, but the results are always the same. The Hag Queen's curse has run its course; it has left no enduring tendrils of power. Sarvos is not cursed as Imperial magic understands it, rituals like [[Wisdom of the Balanced Blade]] are of no use here. But still the nagging fears will not abate, and a malaise that lingers in the air. And some scholars of magic claim that it is possible for something to be ''doomed'', a controversial idea of a terrible confluence of hearth magic and fate that has nothing to do with being cursed.

The popular mountebank, ''Ricardo di Sarvos'', provides a more hopeful outlook. He claims that the old legends that Sarvos will be lost if the mirrors are ever broken is ''correct''. But he says it is the Sarvos that people knew that is gone, the Jewelled City that sparkled like gems in the sun is no more. That identity is destroyed, like a theatrical mask it has shattered into a thousand pieces and is no more. Ricardo is hard at work touring the city he loves, performing his popular shadow puppet play, the Rat-Prince and the Beggar-Queen (which has received rave reviews by critics). After each performance he speaks eloquently to the crowds about the need for a new Sarvos to rise from the shattered shards of the old.

Perhaps there is something in what Ricardo is saying? The ideas soon catch fire in the febrile crowds he gathers. If the Jewelled City has fallen then perhaps what Sarvos needs if it is to survive is a new epithet.

===The City of Songs===
* '''Sarvos could embrace its heritage as a city of art and beauty'''
* '''An ambitious young architect proposes to renovate an old playhouse dedicated to the arts - the Palace of Glass'''
Since the settling of Sarvos before the wars between the patricians and the chapters of Highguard, it has been a city of art and beauty. Travellers come from across the Empire to visit [[Lorenzo%27s_Legacy#The_Blood_Red_Quays_Art_Gallery|The Blood Red Quays Art Gallery]], and the area around the [[Sarvos#Asavean_Embassy|Asavean Embassy]] has become known as a hot spot for artwork, especially beautiful embroidery in the Asavean style. Not just paintings and sculptures, the city is also well known for the performing arts, opera and ballet are the preserve of the rich, but to visitors it can seem like there is a theatre house on every street.

Many citizens now feel that the future of Sarvos lies in embracing art and beauty. This has always been a tradition of the city and what better way to rebuke Skathe than to embrace everything she hates? The best way to embody this decision would be to refurbish the Glass Palace.

The Glass Palace was a magnificent theatre originally constructed during the reign of [[Empress Giselle]]. The vast structure was expensive to build and expensive to run and it was never able to sell enough seats to recoup its costs. Near the end of the reign of "''the Unwise''" it was closed down before opening under new owners... only to close down again six months later. The same sad story repeated over the years until the structure fell into such a state of disrepair that it was eventually abandoned.

Interest has been renewed in the old theatre by a young architect who wishes to see it restored to its original beauty. '''Bethany Gustava von Sarvos''', who studied in [[Holberg]] under Frederick di Sarvos, wants to make her mark on the city and believes that this is the perfect opportunity. Bethany has offered to oversee the complete renovation of the theatre, with the intention to reduce the space given over to seating so that these areas can be used to house a long winding art gallery that will run around the outside of the building.

It is an ambitious project, but her plans do not stop there. The architect wants to use the seemingly endless supply of glass shards that have been collected throughout the city from the broken mirrors. Bethany has a theory regarding what she refers to as "''the golden hour''", and the use of a vast patchwork behind the stage that would allow theatre troupes to create scenes of beauty never experienced before. The [[merrow]] is also happy to point out that bringing about immense beauty from the disaster would be sure to annoy [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Skathe|Skathe]].

Renovating the Glass Palace would be a huge commission that would require an appropriate [[Senate motion]] to overhaul the [[folly]]. Fortunately most of the construction work was done years ago - so the project would need only 10 wains of mithril. The downside is that it would need a vast array of skilled artisans to carry out the painstaking work needed to realise the young architect's dream. The civil service calculate it would take sixty thrones and need six months to finish the work.

The result would produce no money - the Glass Palace has never been profitable. As a result the folly would not need the Senate to create a title to oversee it - but they could create something like the Director of the Glass Palace if they wanted to. The Director could have a role in the production of the plays performed at the Glass Palace and more importantly act as a champion of the arts right across the City, the League and the whole Empire. Or the Senate could simply commission the architect to carry out the work and leave the Palace to run itself - not everything in the Empire needs a citizen at Anvil to take responsibility for it!

===The City of Masks===
* '''Sarvos could embrace its heritage as a city of style and elegance'''
* '''A powerful merchant-prince seeks to build a school of fashion and design '''
According to '''their''' history, the League tradition of wearing masks begin in Sarvos. Whatever the truth of this claim, the city has always prided itself itself on possessing great style and panache. The latest fashions often start here; "to dress like Prince" is a common saying referring to someone of high ambition. Less sophisticated inhabitants of other nations or even other cities might criticise this emphasis, calling it vain and shallow - but they would be naive and foolish to do so. There is powerful hearth magic in appearances - to don the clothes of someone is to take on a part of their identity - any skilled magician knows that to be true. If you want to play the Prince then first you must dress the part.

As a result a large number of citizens believe that the future of Sarvos lies in embracing the tradition of style and exuberance that have imbued it since its earliest days. The finest way to show Skathe that she has gained nothing is for Sarvos to dress in its finery as never before. One way to embrace this idea would be to approve the creation of the Night Masks.

The Night Masks is the brainchild of Merchant-Prince Genia Bourné di Sarvos, the merchant-prince of House Bourné. During Winter 380YE, in conjunction with popular publication The Looking Glass, House Bourné shared the designs for six marvellous magical robes with Imperial [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisans]], and now their Prince has a proposal for the Empire. She plans to commission an extension to the Diora University, a new School of Fashion that will train students so that they can make Sarvos the pre-eminent home of grace and fashion not just in the Empire but throughout the world. Genia Bourné proposes to cherry pick the most talented designers from among those who visit the school and offer them a place there to study and learn, with a view to ushering in a new age of elegance and style for Sarvos.

A crucial part of the Bourné plan is to make use of the countless shards of broken glass that litter every house and street. Her idea is to invite citizens to gather up the glass and bring the fragments to the school. When there is a chance members of the House will show citizens how to affix the fragments of mirror to a suitable masquerade mask. These new mirror-masks, "night masks" as Genia calls them, will become a powerful new fashion in the city. They will be exciting and mysterious and flicker as they catch the light if worn at night. Thus Genia plans to build the new city of Sarvos from these shards, transforming the City of Mirrors into the City of Masks.

The proposal is not cheap. The building is relatively modest, just 6 wains of white granite and 6 wains of weirwood are needed to provide the facilities for the new school should the Senate choose to [[commission]] it. But the folly is expensive - due to the costs needed to gather up all the glass and store it for years to come. The civil service estimate that it will cost no less than 45 thrones in all.

The school would not provide any direct benefits, and the Senate could leave the management of it to House Bourné. Alternatively the could create a title to oversee the school, perhaps the ''Chancellor of the Night Mask School'' if they wished. If they do that, Genia suggests that the title be given the responsibility to act as a champion of fashion and design right across the Empire, and leaving the everyday running of the school to the vice-chancellor.

===The City of Spices===
* '''Sarvos could embrace its heritage as a city of fine dining and exquisite taste'''
* '''Noted epicure, Martina di Sarvos, seeks to commission an impressive restaurant in the heart of Caricomare'''
One of the things that visitors to Sarvos are often surprised by is the bewildering array of food and drink on offer. Most Sarvosi adore exotic food and pride themselves on their deep and sophisticated palate. According to the legends you can dine out every night of your life in Sarvos and never eat the same meal twice. And the city is home to a great many establishments that serve dishes and drinks native to distant nations, often in settings designed to cleverly evoke the sensation of actually being in one of those nations.

This is great source of Pride for many Sarvosi who view the incredible array of dishes on offer as evidence of the impeccable tastes of those who dwell here. The Hag Queen may have shattered the mirrors of Sarvos, but she is powerless to touch the true beauty of the city which lies in the wealth and wonder of fine meals and fine drinking that delight the senses they say. Sarvos is the greatest city in the world for gourmets and epicures - the fabled mirrors may be gone but in their place they have revealed a city that is rich in appreciation for the finest things in life. It is time to let the world get a taste of Sarvos as it could be.

To cement Sarvos' position as the finest city in the world for dining, Martina di Sarvos, proposes to build a great open-air banqueting hall in Caricomare that she calls the Greatest Taste. The best chefs from around the city will be invited to compete to create the finest dishes and serve them to the guests of the Greatest Taste so that collectively they may pick a winner. In this way she hopes to showcase the best the city has to offer as well as making young Sarvossians dream of creating new dishes that may one day win them fame and riches.

The plans for the Hall are expensive, as they involving clearing an extensive series of slums to make way for the beautiful dining area in such a way that diners might enjoy pleasant views out over the bay. It would only require 8 wains of white granite, but would need 40 thrones in all to pay for the clearance. It would not provide any direct benefits, and would not need anyone to run it, but in theory the Senate might be able to recoup some of the costs involved if they auctioned the title of ''Arbiter of the Greatest Taste'' through the Bourse. If they wish to do that then Martina suggests that the Arbiter could have a role in judging the finest dishes - people might pay well for an opportunity to eat meals prepared by the finest chefs in the Empire every night for a year!.

===A Fitting Epithet===
The [[Senate]] could choose to commission to any, all, or none of the follies listed above. If they do commission one or more of the follies listed above - then any one of them could become the basis for a new future for Sarvos. The Jewelled City of Sarvos is no more - but from that disaster comes the unique opportunity for this ancient city to reborn as something new.

At the point where one or more of the three commissions above is complete then that would create the potential for the [[national assembly|League Assembly]] to pass a mandate encouraging the inhabitants of Sarvos to embrace the ideals embodied by the commission as the future for Sarvos. This will determine what the city of Sarvos becomes most famous for in the years ahead, helping to define the cities identity and epithet.

In theory there is no reason why the League could not choose to approve more than one of these commissions, should they wish to do so, perhaps to spite Skathe and prove to her just how badly she has lost. But whatever happens the city can only truly have one epithet, so it can only pass one mandate to encourage everyone in the city to embrace a new character for the city. If more than one commission is completed, then each commission will have its own competing mandate.

Whatever happens, no statement or mandate will have an effect until an appropriate commission is completed. Without a focus for the new vision, there can be no future for Sarvos.

==The Shape of the DOOM==
* '''If the citizens of Sarvos do not choose a new future for their city, then its future will become one of doom and despair'''
Of course it is entirely possible that the people of the League will decline any of these futures. The civil service calculate that any of three options laid out above would be effective if they are completed any time in the next year - that is before the start of the Autumn Equinox 384YE. If that happens then the current malaise that affects Sarvos will be lifted and the city will go proudly forwards with an exciting future.

If for some reason that does not happen - perhaps because of the costs involved, perhaps because citizens simply cannot agree - then the future looks less promising. A few people are already whispering of a new name for Sarvos - calling it the Doomed City or the Sinking City. A year from now that fate will become reality and likely it will be difficult or impossible to shift thereafter.

What might happen if that occurs? Few can say and none with any certainty. Philosophy and linguistic sophistry aside, there are many citizens in Sarvos who feel certain that inescapable doom is imminent. The only question is what form will that doom take?

===Rising Waters===
* '''Sarvos has been subject to terrible floods before; the district of Caricomare was ruined during the storms of 348YE.'''
* '''There is some fear that a similar flood will prove to be the doom of the city.'''
Sarvos is built on an island - one is never far from the sea. In the past, flooding has been a regular problem particularly for those who live in the poorer parts of the city. The worst floods in a century came with the terrible storm that ruined Caricomare in 348YE, but with there are cellars across Sarvos that flood during the high tides of Spring and the storms of Autumn. Perhaps it is from the sea that the final doom of Sarvos will come - a great flood that washes away the towers and drowns the theatres?

The tidesmen at the Caricomare docks have not failed to notice that the peak high tide marker has risen three times since the Summer Solstice...

===Rising Flames===
* '''Francesco Falenjame di Sarvos has called on the Senate to do something about the threat of fire in the city'''
* '''The Senate could commission a firehouse or construct a series of wells throughout the city'''
* '''Commissioning the firehouse would require 20 wains of white granite, 5 thrones and a senate motion'''
* '''Commissioning the wells would require 20 wains of white granite, 20 wains of weirwood and 10 thrones and either a senate motion or use of an imperial wayleave'''

While doomsayers talk of rising waters and wail that the city is sinking, the more practical minded folk who dwell in Sarvos point out that the real threat to the city is the same as it has always been - fire. Space is at a premium in Sarvos - cramped streets flow between soaring towers, choked with densely packed buildings. While there has never been a significant blaze in Sarvos the simple reality is that a major fire could destroy the entire city before it could be dealt with. The inhabitants of Caricomare are always worrying that the city is sinking - but the real threat is ''fire''.

The leader of the Falenjame Cartel, merchant-prince '''Francesco Falenjame di Sarvos''', has called on civic leaders to do something about this threat. For years now numerous [[free company|free companies]] have operated as volunteer firefighters, often whilst resting and recuperating in the city. Francesco has been approached by the Carta du Incendio who would like to take control of the efforts. They have engaged a local architect to draw up a design for a firehouse which could be built in a central part of the city which they own. They will be happy to provide all the wains and thrones required, provided that the Senate commission and concede the [[folly]] to them.

If the Senate wished to retain control of the firehouse they could commission it as a [[sinecure]] and create a title to oversee the firehouse, ''Warden of the City'' perhaps, who would be responsible for acquiring donations from local business, warehouses and visiting merchants to ensure that the city is kept safe from arson. There would also be some businesses who would likely pay a premium price in return for guaranteed response, resulting in a seasonal income of 2 thrones and 4 rings.

Alternatively the senate could commission a rejuvenation effort to both improve existing wells, and establish new ones in strategic places across the city. This would not be cheap however, costing 20 wains of [[white granite]], 20 wains of [[weirwood]], and 10 thrones. It would however mean that the guilds of volunteer firefighters supported by the travelling free companies would be more than enough to provide adequate protection against the threat of fire. The network would also provide easier access to fresh water for those citizens of Sarvos who own [[herb garden|herb gardens]], functioning as a [[great work]]. Each owner of a herb garden would see a share in a bounty of 45 [[Cerulean Mazzarine|cerulean mazzarine]] and 30 [[True Vervain|true vervain]].

Of course there is nothing to say the Senate cannot choose both options, the ''Carta du Incendio'' would be happy to make use of an extended network of wells throughout the city, it would make their job easier after all.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost, General of the Iron Helms">Iron Helms will make a strong defence in Sarvos. They remain Vigilant in the long watches.</quote></div>

===Rising Corpses===
* '''The Iron Helms and the Wolves of War are stationed in Sarvos.'''
* '''Some of the husks accompanying the Iron Helms have been disappearing.'''
* '''There is circumstantial evidence that a malign presence is loose in the sewers beneath the city.'''
The Iron Helms were stationed in and around Sarvos this season, which was a brave choice given the presence of a thousand moaning flesh-eating animated corpses that march with the army. Still the people of Sarvos are nothing if not cosmopolitan and provided the Varushkan general keeps his cruel troops and his army of walking corpses well away from the city most people are content to let it lie. The Military Council surely knew what they were doing camping an army of ravenous winter zombies next to a city - so provided nothing happens then it's not a problem.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Gabriel Barossa, General of the Wolves of War">The City of mirrors has been broken by a treacherous curse, and portents from the Night realm foretell that the city shall fall. But we are virtuous citizens and we make our own destiny. We shall root out spies and defy prophecy. Guard the gates of what is still the most beautiful city of the bay.</quote></div>
But something is happening. There are claims that some of the quickened dead are... missing. The magic binds the winter spirits in place for a year, forcing them into mortal husks for as long as the enchantment endures. Only once the magic ends are the spirits free to go about their business. If a body is destroyed so badly that it cannot march and fight, then the magic forces the spirit to animate a new body (to be fair, these capricious winter spirits need little encouragement in this matter). They have no business disappearing, none what-so-ever, and certainly not so close to Sarvos.

So it is particularly worrying that as the Autumn Equinox draws near there are increasing reports of corpses appearing in and around the sewers of Caricomare. The sewers are designed so that the city's night-soil can wash out to sea. Things that fall into the sewers are rarely seen again unless they are found floating in the waters of the Bay. Nothing should be coming up the sewers, so it is far from normal for there to be bodies washing up there.

Panic breaks out when the first reports surface of husks walking through the sewers, attacking any who try to go down there. A patrol of brave volunteers is quickly dispatched into the sewers to root out the monsters but after they fail to return the sewers are sealed off. Better that whatever is down there remains trapped at least until the problem can be solved somehow. But each night brings ever worsening news with new tales of people disappearing from the streets of Caricomare at night.

According to the most lurid reports, the devastation unleashed by Skathe has created a powerful winter regio somewhere in the sewers beneath Caricomare. Those who venture into the dark tunnels claim that something has changed, that the place has taken on a sinister quality and a feeling of great hunger and despair.

Is this regio linked somehow to the winter spirits that have fled the control of the Varushkan general? Impossible to tell, but it is with great relief that the civil service identity an entire sequence of minor conjunctions all leading to points in the Caricomare sewers. They are hurriedly putting the information together in the hope that [[A_broken_frame|it can be published]] before the summit so that the heroes of Anvil can deal with this nuisance directly... before it has the chance to grow worse.
<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: right;"><quote by="Ophelia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato, Mandate, General Assembly. Summer 383YE, 1247-140">The essence of Dead Reckoning is an embodiment of prosperity, a system to ensure that people get the just rewards for their labours. We send Ophelia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato with 50 doses of liao to encourage League citizens to remember that it is virtuous to despise the thieving bandit, the lazy wastrel, the grasping miser, and those who take without giving.</quote></div>

==A Dead Reckoning==
* '''A group are coming to Anvil who wish speak to all reckoners'''
* '''They are due to arrive at the League Camp at 11 o'clock on Friday'''
Not all the responses to the attack on Sarvos (or the one on Holberg) are so positive. There are wild rumours throughout all the League cities of curses being levied against the territories of [[Highguard]], against the [[Synod]] for the [[Member_of_the_Synod#Clemency|clemency plea]] offered in the trial and some even suggest against the magistrates of Anvil. One common thread throughout all the rumours though, is that the [[The_League_culture_and_customs#Reckoners|reckoners]] present in Anvil came together to present what they considered to be a just response.

If they didn't, so folk say, then they certainly should have. What does it do to the reputation of the League if such a slight is allowed to go unpunished? Those who harm the cities of the League must be prepared to pay the price for their foolishness.

'''Eduardo von Tassato''', representative of a group of those who support trade along the four rivers, is visiting Anvil and wants to speak to prominent reckoners from the four cities. They request that a tent be made ready and that each group send at least one representative to the meeting. They have refused to be forthcoming about what they are wanting to talk about, but it's even odds that it will involve a reckoning for the two curses or something just as serious.