Crimson and green - Revision history

Twiggy: /* Under an Oak (Therunin) */

2026-04-21T17:39:01Z

Under an Oak (Therunin)

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:39, 21 April 2026
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	<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 60 white granite, 60 weirwood, and 45 thrones in labour</td></tr>		<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 60 white granite, 60 weirwood, and 45 thrones in labour</td></tr>
	<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Creates the title Speaker of the Apothecaries</td></tr>		<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Creates the title Speaker of the Apothecaries</td></tr>
	<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 12 ~~Thrones~~ or 10 thrones if built in Skarsind</td></tr>		<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 12 thrones or 10 thrones if built in Skarsind</td></tr>
	<tr><td>'''Special:''' If the apothecaries are rescued, then the labour costs are reduced by 20 thrones</td></tr>		<tr><td>'''Special:''' If the apothecaries are rescued, then the labour costs are reduced by 20 thrones</td></tr>
	</table>		</table>

Kirkbride: /* Game Information */

2026-04-21T17:35:24Z

Game Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:35, 21 April 2026
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	Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.		Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.

			==Conjunction==
			===Under an Oak (Therunin) ===
			<div style="width: 400px; float: right; clear: right; margin-left:10px;">
			<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightBlue;">'''Apothecaries' Guildhouse'''</tr>
			<tr><td>'''Commission Type:''' Herbal School</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Location:''' Any</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Cost:''' 60 white granite, 60 weirwood, and 45 thrones in labour</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Effect:''' Creates the title Speaker of the Apothecaries</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Upkeep:''' 12 Thrones or 10 thrones if built in Skarsind</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Special:''' If the apothecaries are rescued, then the labour costs are reduced by 20 thrones</td></tr>
			</table>
			<table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><tr><td style="background-color: LightGreen;">'''Speaker of the Apothecaries'''</tr>
			<tr><td>'''Type:''' Imperial</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Appointment:''' Simple vote of the Apothecaries' Guild</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Powers:''' Can oversee development of new ways for Imperial apothecaries to use herbs</td></tr>
			<tr><td>'''Responsibilities:''' To guide the sodality's research of new potions and protect the Guildhouse.</td></tr>
			</table></div>
			* '''A group of Druj are waiting to slaughter apothecaries from Thornsong House'''
			* '''This skirmish is a [[Accessibility#Combat_Highly_Likely\|combat highly likely]] encounter'''
			* '''The ''Guild Leader of the Apothecaries Guild'' is [[Sentinel_Gate#Prognostication\|responsible]] for defeating the Druj'''
			{{AgainstBarbarians}}
			The apothecaries of [[Thornsinger#Thornsong House\|Thornsong House]] are still fleeing the destruction wrought by the Druj, with the larger group close to reaching the border with Reikos. In their way, is a band of merciless Druj – laying a trap which will see the apothecaries killed and their research taken for the benefit of the Buruk Tepel. If the Druj can be stopped, then the apothecaries will arrive at the Gardens of High Chalcis and – after a few weeks of rest and recuperation - support the construction of a new college of potions.

			It is the responsibility of the [[Apothecaries Guild\|Speaker of the Apothecaries Guild]], '''Esmé i Estrico i Erigo''', to organise the defeat of the Druj, and thus save the apothecaries. Given that these are apothecaries from Thornsong House, there is some expectation that the last [[Thornsinger]], '''Orinn Embracing Fold''', will want to support or involve themselves in some way.
	{{Vallorn links}}		{{Vallorn links}}

Twiggy at 22:11, 4 March 2026

2026-03-04T22:11:14Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:11, 4 March 2026
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	But then news seeps across the lines from the east, where it is a very different story.		But then news seeps across the lines from the east, where it is a very different story.
	==Counting Rings==		==Counting Rings==
	As its abominable spawn are pulled back into the vallornheart, there is a beat in which it seems Tharunind is falling back into uneasy slumber again. Then, with the inevitability of the shoot pushing up through the heavy earth, or the bud ripening on the tree, it pulses outward again. A pseudopod of writhing power smashes into ~~East Ring~~. All the horror that faced the Empire in [[Therunin#Peakedge_Song\|Peakedge Song]] is now turned against the [[Druj]].		As its abominable spawn are pulled back into the vallornheart, there is a beat in which it seems Tharunind is falling back into uneasy slumber again. Then, with the inevitability of the shoot pushing up through the heavy earth, or the bud ripening on the tree, it pulses outward again. A pseudopod of writhing power smashes into Eastring. All the horror that faced the Empire in [[Therunin#Peakedge_Song\|Peakedge Song]] is now turned against the [[Druj]].

	This is not chance, not the random whim of the vallorn's inscrutable spirit (such as it is). During the Equinox, the ''Voice of the Quiet Forest'' wove a ward in Therunin, using the power of [[Spring magic]] to bring [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|forge]] a succulent barrier of protective magic across [[Therunin#Eastring\|Eastring]]. In theory, this ward would protect the Druj - for all that the founder of the fortress the ''[[Irra Harah\|Prince with a Thousand Foes]]'' despises the Druj more even than it does the Empire - the ritual does what it does, and the eternal cannot refuse the call. As long as the [[Forge_the_Wooden_Fastness#Assurance\|assurance]] bound into the ritual is not transgressed, ''Thorn of the Ancestors'' must at least ward the region where the [[enchantment]] is woven. And in this case, perhaps, the ''Shacklebreaker'' relishes his power being drawn to the lands of the Druj.		This is not chance, not the random whim of the vallorn's inscrutable spirit (such as it is). During the Equinox, the ''Voice of the Quiet Forest'' wove a ward in Therunin, using the power of [[Spring magic]] to bring [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|forge]] a succulent barrier of protective magic across [[Therunin#Eastring\|Eastring]]. In theory, this ward would protect the Druj - for all that the founder of the fortress the ''[[Irra Harah\|Prince with a Thousand Foes]]'' despises the Druj more even than it does the Empire - the ritual does what it does, and the eternal cannot refuse the call. As long as the [[Forge_the_Wooden_Fastness#Assurance\|assurance]] bound into the ritual is not transgressed, ''Thorn of the Ancestors'' must at least ward the region where the [[enchantment]] is woven. And in this case, perhaps, the ''Shacklebreaker'' relishes his power being drawn to the lands of the Druj.
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	The vallorn has claimed Eastring, fractured Druj dominance of the territory, but at a dreadful price. The [[Thimble]] - a proud [[weirwood]] grove that the Navarr have nurtured for centuries - was defiled by the Druj but at least there was the hope it might be reclaimed. The vallorn cannot harm it - everything points to the wholesome energies of free-growing weirwood being inimical to its corruption - but that is scant reassurance. It persists, now, as an island in a sea of malignancy. Until the vallorn is cleared from Eastring, the Thimble is lost. And, with the vallorn settling its roots in the region, the only way that it will be removed any time soon is through war with the vallorn - the [[A thousand years of longing\|linking of the hearts]] and all that comes with it.		The vallorn has claimed Eastring, fractured Druj dominance of the territory, but at a dreadful price. The [[Thimble]] - a proud [[weirwood]] grove that the Navarr have nurtured for centuries - was defiled by the Druj but at least there was the hope it might be reclaimed. The vallorn cannot harm it - everything points to the wholesome energies of free-growing weirwood being inimical to its corruption - but that is scant reassurance. It persists, now, as an island in a sea of malignancy. Until the vallorn is cleared from Eastring, the Thimble is lost. And, with the vallorn settling its roots in the region, the only way that it will be removed any time soon is through war with the vallorn - the [[A thousand years of longing\|linking of the hearts]] and all that comes with it.

	The accursed sorcerers of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted_Basilisk\|Tainted Basilisk]] used their wicked spells to [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#Tainted_Vengeance\|rouse the vallorn in Therunin]] just before the Spring Equinox. It gathered its strength for a season, then erupted into Peakedge Song after the Summer Solstice. Now it has assailed ~~East Ring~~, and claimed the entire region. Yet even as it does so, it is clear it's power is beginning to ebb away, to settle back into the soil and the air and the waters. Yet it is not entirely spent. It is still active, still hungry. Its thirst for wholesome life, and of corruption, has not been slaked. Not yet.		The accursed sorcerers of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted_Basilisk\|Tainted Basilisk]] used their wicked spells to [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#Tainted_Vengeance\|rouse the vallorn in Therunin]] just before the Spring Equinox. It gathered its strength for a season, then erupted into Peakedge Song after the Summer Solstice. Now it has assailed Eastring, and claimed the entire region. Yet even as it does so, it is clear it's power is beginning to ebb away, to settle back into the soil and the air and the waters. Yet it is not entirely spent. It is still active, still hungry. Its thirst for wholesome life, and of corruption, has not been slaked. Not yet.

	The vates, and the scholars at the [[Great Library of Hacynian]], predict that the magic of the Druj and the wakefulness of the vallorn will run its course before the dawning of the Spring Equinox. That leaves one more season in which it will try to expand its borders. Even with its diminished strength it likely still has the power to claim more of Therunin if left alone. If it does so successfully, then Therunin will become like Brocéliande, lost to the vallorn. Even if the Doom of Tharunind settled down again after the Equinox, if it is left to expand freely then only three regions of the territory would remain. If all three were liberated, the vallorn would still control the territory.		The vates, and the scholars at the [[Great Library of Hacynian]], predict that the magic of the Druj and the wakefulness of the vallorn will run its course before the dawning of the Spring Equinox. That leaves one more season in which it will try to expand its borders. Even with its diminished strength it likely still has the power to claim more of Therunin if left alone. If it does so successfully, then Therunin will become like Brocéliande, lost to the vallorn. Even if the Doom of Tharunind settled down again after the Equinox, if it is left to expand freely then only three regions of the territory would remain. If all three were liberated, the vallorn would still control the territory.

Twiggy at 14:36, 3 March 2026

2026-03-03T14:36:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:36, 3 March 2026
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	<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage\|file=Fire and thorns.jpg\|caption=Thirsty vines sup deeply on spilled blood; hungry flames devour and consume and still are left unsated.\|align=left\|width=500}}</div>		<div style="float:left; width: 500px; clear: right;">{{CaptionedImage\|file=Fire and thorns.jpg\|caption=Thirsty vines sup deeply on spilled blood; hungry flames devour and consume and still are left unsated.\|align=left\|width=500}}</div>
	==Tendrils of Green==		==Tendrils of Green==
			{{#ev:youtube\|link={{{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs7X4FUCdTo}}}\|300\|right}}
	Roused by [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|the fell magics of the Druj]], the Tharunind vallorn is awake, furiously extending questing green tendrils across the territory. Before the Autumn Equinox, its terrible energies were [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|expended in Peakedge Song]] against the [[Wolves of War]] and the [[Golden Sun]]. Nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers paid the ultimate price to keep it at bay. After the Equinox, however, both armies withdrew, battered and bruised, the Sun to [[Astolat]] and the Wolves to [[Bastion]]. It seemed that nothing could prevent the irresistible tide of wood and flesh drowning the region, leaving a very real and present threat to [[Reikos#High_Chalcis\|High Chalcis]] and the northern regions of [[Morrow]].		Roused by [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|the fell magics of the Druj]], the Tharunind vallorn is awake, furiously extending questing green tendrils across the territory. Before the Autumn Equinox, its terrible energies were [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|expended in Peakedge Song]] against the [[Wolves of War]] and the [[Golden Sun]]. Nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers paid the ultimate price to keep it at bay. After the Equinox, however, both armies withdrew, battered and bruised, the Sun to [[Astolat]] and the Wolves to [[Bastion]]. It seemed that nothing could prevent the irresistible tide of wood and flesh drowning the region, leaving a very real and present threat to [[Reikos#High_Chalcis\|High Chalcis]] and the northern regions of [[Morrow]].

Twiggy at 18:58, 4 February 2026

2026-02-04T18:58:55Z

Hailmur at 17:26, 4 February 2026

2026-02-04T17:26:25Z

Rafferty: /* Game Information */

2026-02-04T17:17:07Z

Game Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:17, 4 February 2026
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	The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].		The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].
	<div style="float:right; width: ~~500px~~; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>		<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>
	The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.		The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.

	Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.		Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.
	{{Vallorn links}}		{{Vallorn links}}

Rafferty: /* Game Information */

2026-02-04T17:16:58Z

Game Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 4 February 2026
Line 52:		Line 52:

	The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].		The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].
	<div style="float:right; width: ~~300px~~; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>		<div style="float:right; width: 500px; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>
	The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.		The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.

	Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.		Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.
	{{Vallorn links}}		{{Vallorn links}}

Rafferty: /* Game Information */

2026-02-04T17:16:43Z

Game Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 4 February 2026
Line 56:		Line 56:

	Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.		Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.
	{{Vallorn ~~Links~~}}		{{Vallorn links}}

Rafferty: /* Game Information */

2026-02-04T17:16:19Z

Game Information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 4 February 2026
Line 52:		Line 52:

	The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].		The strength of the vallorn has begun to ebb. In addition to the loss of strength inflicted by Imperial heroes during the Autumn Equinox, Tharunind has begun to slip back toward uneasy quiesence. It's strength has now fallen to 19,000 but it will continue to attack in Therunin for one more season - assuming no more magic is used to rouse it again. It's not clear where it will attack; it seems likely it will be drawn to the Druj in East Ashes, who it will easily overwhelm, but it is difficult to predict where it will go. As before however it will be drawn to concentrations of life - Imperial Armies or [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|Spring wards]].
			<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>
	The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.		The Druj still control four regions of Therunin, but their grasp is tenuous at best. The majority of their remaining forces are concentrated in East Ashes, but they are deep behind Imperial lines with no easy way to escape. There is still a Druj presence in the rest of the territory, but it is disorganised and increasingly desperate. It will offer little resistance to either Imperial armies or the vallorn.
	<div style="float:right; width: 300px; clear: left;"><box>'''<big>Fighting the Vallorn</big>'''<br>Some additional information has come to light about what fighting the vallorn - were it to be fully roused - might look like. The information has been appended to the [[vallorn]] page. How and why this information has been put together in and out of character is touched on in a [[Rules_update_2026#Vallorn\|rules update]].</box></div>

	Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.		Thornsong House has been destroyed, but the folk who had sheltered there behind the Night magic ward have not been idle. As soon as they were able, they fled west toward High Chalcis bearing with them as much of the accumulated lore held at the college of apothecary arts as they could carry. The Druj are hot on their heels however; it is likely they will be captured or slain unless Imperial heroes are able to intervene before the end of the Winter Solstice.
			{{Vallorn Links}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:58, 4 February 2026
Line 4:		Line 4:
	Roused by [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|the fell magics of the Druj]], the Tharunind vallorn is awake, furiously extending questing green tendrils across the territory. Before the Autumn Equinox, its terrible energies were [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|expended in Peakedge Song]] against the [[Wolves of War]] and the [[Golden Sun]]. Nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers paid the ultimate price to keep it at bay. After the Equinox, however, both armies withdrew, battered and bruised, the Sun to [[Astolat]] and the Wolves to [[Bastion]]. It seemed that nothing could prevent the irresistible tide of wood and flesh drowning the region, leaving a very real and present threat to [[Reikos#High_Chalcis\|High Chalcis]] and the northern regions of [[Morrow]].		Roused by [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|the fell magics of the Druj]], the Tharunind vallorn is awake, furiously extending questing green tendrils across the territory. Before the Autumn Equinox, its terrible energies were [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#The_Vallorn_of_Tharunind\|expended in Peakedge Song]] against the [[Wolves of War]] and the [[Golden Sun]]. Nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers paid the ultimate price to keep it at bay. After the Equinox, however, both armies withdrew, battered and bruised, the Sun to [[Astolat]] and the Wolves to [[Bastion]]. It seemed that nothing could prevent the irresistible tide of wood and flesh drowning the region, leaving a very real and present threat to [[Reikos#High_Chalcis\|High Chalcis]] and the northern regions of [[Morrow]].

	Indeed, as the Equinox fades the ~~vallorns~~ miasma continues to spread... but without warning, the attention of Tharunind slips away. The vallornspawn, the abominations, the [[ettercap]] legions ebb and flow, the tide of consumption faltering and receding. The few remaining steadings in western Therunin have endured the viridian storm, blinking uncertainly in the light of a new dawn.		Indeed, as the Equinox fades the vallorn's miasma continues to spread... but without warning, the attention of Tharunind slips away. The vallornspawn, the abominations, the [[ettercap]] legions ebb and flow, the tide of consumption faltering and receding. The few remaining steadings in western Therunin have endured the viridian storm, blinking uncertainly in the light of a new dawn.

	For a day, then a week, then a month, the threat of the vallorn lessens. It is as if that awesome force fuelled by [[Spring magic]] has lost all interest in smothering Therunin. Word reaches Therunin that during the Autumn Equinox the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]], the [[Vallornguard]] and the [[Keeper of the Last Battle]] travelled via [[Sentinel Gate]] to [[Therunin#Sweetglades\|Sweetglades]] to learn more about, and to weaken, the [[ettercap]] swarms that have arisen with the vallorn. Their efforts were mostly successful; a poison identified that burns through ettercap nests and deployed against them. While they did not meet with complete victory, the poison has reportedly spread to other nests; perhaps this is the reason the vallorn has not been active in the west?		For a day, then a week, then a month, the threat of the vallorn lessens. It is as if that awesome force fuelled by [[Spring magic]] has lost all interest in smothering Therunin. Word reaches Therunin that during the Autumn Equinox the [[Imperial Apothecaries Guild]], the [[Vallornguard]] and the [[Keeper of the Last Battle]] travelled via [[Sentinel Gate]] to [[Therunin#Sweetglades\|Sweetglades]] to learn more about, and to weaken, the [[ettercap]] swarms that have arisen with the vallorn. Their efforts were mostly successful; a poison identified that burns through ettercap nests and deployed against them. While they did not meet with complete victory, the poison has reportedly spread to other nests; perhaps this is the reason the vallorn has not been active in the west?
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	As its abominable spawn are pulled back into the vallornheart, there is a beat in which it seems Tharunind is falling back into uneasy slumber again. Then, with the inevitability of the shoot pushing up through the heavy earth, or the bud ripening on the tree, it pulses outward again. A pseudopod of writhing power smashes into East Ring. All the horror that faced the Empire in [[Therunin#Peakedge_Song\|Peakedge Song]] is now turned against the [[Druj]].		As its abominable spawn are pulled back into the vallornheart, there is a beat in which it seems Tharunind is falling back into uneasy slumber again. Then, with the inevitability of the shoot pushing up through the heavy earth, or the bud ripening on the tree, it pulses outward again. A pseudopod of writhing power smashes into East Ring. All the horror that faced the Empire in [[Therunin#Peakedge_Song\|Peakedge Song]] is now turned against the [[Druj]].

	This is not chance, not the random whim of the ~~vallorns~~ inscrutable spirit (such as it is). During the Equinox, the ''Voice of the Quiet Forest'' wove a ward in Therunin, using the power of [[Spring magic]] to bring [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|forge]] a succulent barrier of protective magic across [[Therunin#Eastring\|Eastring]]. In theory, this ward would protect the Druj - for all that the founder of the fortress the ''[[Irra Harah\|Prince with a Thousand Foes]]'' despises the Druj more even than it does the Empire - the ritual does what it does, and the eternal cannot refuse the call. As long as the [[Forge_the_Wooden_Fastness#Assurance\|assurance]] bound into the ritual is not transgressed, ''Thorn of the Ancestors'' must at least ward the region where the [[enchantment]] is woven. And in this case, perhaps, the ''Shacklebreaker'' relishes his power being drawn to the lands of the Druj.		This is not chance, not the random whim of the vallorn's inscrutable spirit (such as it is). During the Equinox, the ''Voice of the Quiet Forest'' wove a ward in Therunin, using the power of [[Spring magic]] to bring [[Forge the Wooden Fastness\|forge]] a succulent barrier of protective magic across [[Therunin#Eastring\|Eastring]]. In theory, this ward would protect the Druj - for all that the founder of the fortress the ''[[Irra Harah\|Prince with a Thousand Foes]]'' despises the Druj more even than it does the Empire - the ritual does what it does, and the eternal cannot refuse the call. As long as the [[Forge_the_Wooden_Fastness#Assurance\|assurance]] bound into the ritual is not transgressed, ''Thorn of the Ancestors'' must at least ward the region where the [[enchantment]] is woven. And in this case, perhaps, the ''Shacklebreaker'' relishes his power being drawn to the lands of the Druj.

	Pulsing with Spring magic the enchantment catches the attention of the vallornspawn. Just as the vallorn sought out the uncorrupted life of the Imperial armies last season, it is drawn to [[fortification\|fortifications]] of all kinds - and a fortress woven of Spring magic seems irresistible to Tharunind.		Pulsing with Spring magic the enchantment catches the attention of the vallornspawn. Just as the vallorn sought out the uncorrupted life of the Imperial armies last season, it is drawn to [[fortification\|fortifications]] of all kinds - and a fortress woven of Spring magic seems irresistible to Tharunind.
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	In the end, news of what has happened in Eastring comes not from scouts - for there are few enough of them left in Therunin now. Rather, they come from survivors of the vallorn's rampage. The Druj are cruel slavemasters, and the ''Prince with a Thousand Foes'' utterly despises those who torment the weak, who dominate and chain. While the orcs of the Mallum are fighting a desperate retreat against the vallorn, a small number of Irra Harah's children take advantage of the calling of the ward to rescue as many Druj subjects as they can.		In the end, news of what has happened in Eastring comes not from scouts - for there are few enough of them left in Therunin now. Rather, they come from survivors of the vallorn's rampage. The Druj are cruel slavemasters, and the ''Prince with a Thousand Foes'' utterly despises those who torment the weak, who dominate and chain. While the orcs of the Mallum are fighting a desperate retreat against the vallorn, a small number of Irra Harah's children take advantage of the calling of the ward to rescue as many Druj subjects as they can.

	In the end, they are able to save only a fraction of the enslaved labourers the Druj held in Therunin, but that includes nearly a hundred former Imperial citizens - many of them Navarr captured during the recent attack on the territory. They are spirited west to those few steadings ~~stil~~ standing. More - an undisclosed number of humans and [[orc\|orcs]] - are liberated and able to reach Sarangrave. It is through these survivors, and the grim sentinels of ''Thorn of the Ancestors'', that the stories of what has happened in Eastring become known.		In the end, they are able to save only a fraction of the enslaved labourers the Druj held in Therunin, but that includes nearly a hundred former Imperial citizens - many of them Navarr captured during the recent attack on the territory. They are spirited west to those few steadings still standing. More - an undisclosed number of humans and [[orc\|orcs]] - are liberated and able to reach Sarangrave. It is through these survivors, and the grim sentinels of ''Thorn of the Ancestors'', that the stories of what has happened in Eastring become known.
	==Sacrifice==		==Sacrifice==
	The vallorn has claimed Eastring, fractured Druj dominance of the territory, but at a dreadful price. The [[Thimble]] - a proud [[weirwood]] grove that the Navarr have nurtured for centuries - was defiled by the Druj but at least there was the hope it might be reclaimed. The vallorn cannot harm it - everything points to the wholesome energies of free-growing weirwood being inimical to its corruption - but that is scant reassurance. It persists, now, as an island in a sea of malignancy. Until the vallorn is cleared from Eastring, the Thimble is lost. And, with the vallorn settling its roots in the region, the only way that it will be removed any time soon is through war with the vallorn - the [[A thousand years of longing\|linking of the hearts]] and all that comes with it.		The vallorn has claimed Eastring, fractured Druj dominance of the territory, but at a dreadful price. The [[Thimble]] - a proud [[weirwood]] grove that the Navarr have nurtured for centuries - was defiled by the Druj but at least there was the hope it might be reclaimed. The vallorn cannot harm it - everything points to the wholesome energies of free-growing weirwood being inimical to its corruption - but that is scant reassurance. It persists, now, as an island in a sea of malignancy. Until the vallorn is cleared from Eastring, the Thimble is lost. And, with the vallorn settling its roots in the region, the only way that it will be removed any time soon is through war with the vallorn - the [[A thousand years of longing\|linking of the hearts]] and all that comes with it.
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	The accursed sorcerers of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted_Basilisk\|Tainted Basilisk]] used their wicked spells to [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#Tainted_Vengeance\|rouse the vallorn in Therunin]] just before the Spring Equinox. It gathered its strength for a season, then erupted into Peakedge Song after the Summer Solstice. Now it has assailed East Ring, and claimed the entire region. Yet even as it does so, it is clear it's power is beginning to ebb away, to settle back into the soil and the air and the waters. Yet it is not entirely spent. It is still active, still hungry. Its thirst for wholesome life, and of corruption, has not been slaked. Not yet.		The accursed sorcerers of the [[Druj_armies#Tainted_Basilisk\|Tainted Basilisk]] used their wicked spells to [[To_hold_death%27s_hand_in_mine#Tainted_Vengeance\|rouse the vallorn in Therunin]] just before the Spring Equinox. It gathered its strength for a season, then erupted into Peakedge Song after the Summer Solstice. Now it has assailed East Ring, and claimed the entire region. Yet even as it does so, it is clear it's power is beginning to ebb away, to settle back into the soil and the air and the waters. Yet it is not entirely spent. It is still active, still hungry. Its thirst for wholesome life, and of corruption, has not been slaked. Not yet.

	The vates, and the scholars at the [[Great Library of Hacynian]], predict that the magic of the Druj and the wakefulness of the vallorn will run its course before the dawning of the Spring Equinox. That leaves one more season in which it will try to expand its borders. Even with its diminished strength it likely still has the power to claim more of Therunin if left alone. If it does so successfully, then ~~Therunnin~~ will become like Brocéliande, lost to the vallorn. Even if the Doom of ~~Tharnunind~~ settled down again after the Equinox, if it is left to expand freely then only three regions of the territory would remain. If all three were liberated, the vallorn would still control the territory.		The vates, and the scholars at the [[Great Library of Hacynian]], predict that the magic of the Druj and the wakefulness of the vallorn will run its course before the dawning of the Spring Equinox. That leaves one more season in which it will try to expand its borders. Even with its diminished strength it likely still has the power to claim more of Therunin if left alone. If it does so successfully, then Therunin will become like Brocéliande, lost to the vallorn. Even if the Doom of Tharunind settled down again after the Equinox, if it is left to expand freely then only three regions of the territory would remain. If all three were liberated, the vallorn would still control the territory.

	The Druj cling tenuously to their dominance of Therunin, but it is a hollow victory. Those forces that remain - guerrillas, saboteurs, bloodthirsty murderers - are cut off from the crumbling remains of the Druj nation. They have nowhere to flee; they are surrounded by enemies who would relish the chance to avenge their losses. The only choice left to them is to hunker down and hope the Empire and the vallorn overlook them.		The Druj cling tenuously to their dominance of Therunin, but it is a hollow victory. Those forces that remain - guerrillas, saboteurs, bloodthirsty murderers - are cut off from the crumbling remains of the Druj nation. They have nowhere to flee; they are surrounded by enemies who would relish the chance to avenge their losses. The only choice left to them is to hunker down and hope the Empire and the vallorn overlook them.