381YE Autumn Equinox winds of fortune

Overview

Over the past three months, several events have occurred which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. You can also read about the progress of the Empire's military campaigns here.

In each case, we've tried to tag the Winds of Fortune entry with the nations, or political bodies, to which it is most relevant. We've done this to help people who are interested only in events that are especially relevant to them. In no way are these tags intended to be exhaustive; the Empire is a complex place and very little happens in isolation.

As always, how much or how little of this information you choose to know in character is up to you. Part of the purpose of Winds of Fortune is to maintain the illusion of the Empire as a living, breathing place where things happen - and to make players aware of things their characters 'should' know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months.

Many winds of fortune open with a short section of in-character text. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip. They're mostly just a bit of fun and they tend not to contain anything vital to the understanding of the wind of Fortune.

Wind of Fortune

The Art of Restraining Power (Trade Winds)

• Fleet captains; congregation leaders; ambassadors and diplomats

The Empire is not the only power in the world. Trade is a big part of it - but there is much more to trade than simply moving goods from one place to another. You can find a quick round up of things related to the current state of affairs, with an emphasis on trading - and a digression into the state of international relations - here.

Desperate Affairs, Desperate Measures

• The Brass Coast; fleet captains of all nations

Over the last several months, the orc pirates of the Broken Shore have shown more than usual organisation. They launched two vicious raids against the people of the Bay of Catazaar - first to try and attack the fisherfolk, the second to try and enslave the people of the Isle of Zemress. The captains of the Imperial fleets have not stood idly by and instead launched counter-raids of their own against the dastardly southern orcs. You can learn about the outcomes, and a few new developments here.

Empty Handed

• Wealthy folks, especially those with an interest in peculiar rarities.

Since the demise of the Bourse Private Auction, entrepreneurs and the desperate alike have made their way to Anvil seeking to tap the rich markets that may be found there. Markets such as the traditional Varushkan Winter Market, which takes place during the Autum Equinox. This season, there is news of a fallen star in the Marches; an antique artifact belonging to a famous Dawnish enchanter; a rare tea recipe and a herald associated with the Night realm; and some peculiar potions belonging to the Great Forest Orcs. You can learn about these opportunities here.

The Place You Called Home

• The Navarr of Therunin; Imperial Senate; Imperial Conclave

The orcs of the Great Forest tribe came to Therunin as exiles fleeing the Druj. Their presence presented several challenges to the Empire. During the Summer Solstice, the Imperial Senate ratified a treaty designed to define the relationship between the displaced orcs and the Empire. You can learn about the repercussions of this treaty here.

Proud to Serve (Imperial Address)

• All Imperial citizens

The Imperatrix has used her power to address the Empire to allow Heilyn Bronwen's Rest, the Warmage, to dispatch a message to all Imperial citizens. You can read it here.

Roundup

This represents short reminders of things that are still ongoing, or resolutions of events from the Summer Solstice that are not a Wind of Fortune of their own.

Mandates

During the Summer Solstice, the Synod successfully enacted six mandates. In each case, the mandate was raised and passed by the appropriate assembly, and the named priest succesfully used the appropriate amount of liao to enact the desired effect.

Assembly	Mandate	Priest	Outcome
Dawn	The National Assembly sends Odelina de Rondell with 25 doses of liao to repudiate the false teachings of Yael of Highguard. Those who have been deceived by her claim to be the First Empress Reborn and the hope of the Land Without Tears should renounce this false doctrine and return to their homes.	Odelina de Rondell	Dawn has rejected the teachings of Yael and the Congregation of the First Empress
Marcher	Land matters above all else. Marcher armies should always stand their ground to defend what is theirs. We send Mel of Mourn with 25 doses of liao to spread the word that no Marcher army should ever give ground.	Mel of Mourn	No Marcher general can issue the Give Ground order ever again as detailed here.
Wintermark	No true hero of the Mark should stand with the Iron Helms - those who use their dogs for war have become dogs themselves. The assembly sends Gunnbrand Ironwill with 50 liao to urge every hero of Wintermark to show the heroism that a true hero of the Empire should aspire to.	Gunnbrand Ironwill	Wintermark armies can take additional orders when fighting alongside the Iron Helms; the Iron Helms suffer penalties when fighting with Wintermark armie, as detailed here.
Navarr	Mandate. Mercy is a luxury that the Empire cannot afford when faced with enemies that seek to destroy it; we must not cast aside any weapon that may bring victory. The Navarr assembly sends Corey Wayfarer with 75 doses of liao to urge the Quiet Step to build on the opportunity presented by Arhallogen and find new and effective tactics for dealing with our enemies.	Corey Wayfarer	The general of the Quiet Step has the opportunity to permanently change the quality of their army to cunning qualaity, as detailed here
Varushka	Mandate. The Iron Helms only do what is necessary to defeat their enemies quickly. We do not have the luxury of mercy when facing what comes out of the darkness. The assembly sends Amris with 100 doses of liao to urge every inhabitant of Varushka to seize the opportunity to support the Iron Helms and show the enemies of the Empire what real cruelty looks like.	Amris Johan Merikovich	Until the start of Spring 382YE, the Iron Helms can take the Terror in the Night order as detailed here.
Brass Coast	Mandate. 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 Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra with 25 liao doses to urge our soldiers to reject the Iron Helms and their cruelty.	Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra	Th Iron Helms sufferes penalties when fighting with Freeborn armies as detailed here.

Conquered Territories

Resources in Liathaven are receiving the "conquered territory" penalty to their production.

Imperial Lore

The Imperial Conclave has declared that two new rituals "Unknown Unknown" and "Golden Voyage" be entered into Imperial lore. With regard to Unknown Unknown, however, at this time we have no confirmation that the ten thrones has been provided, nor that the ritual text has been handed over.

Bittersweet Legacy

Every Highborn character who owns a resource in Highguard will see a small boost to their production this event, a side effect of the recent focus on religions matters. The bonus will continue as long as they do not formally reject the belief in the Land Without Tears.

Weltsilver Bounty

The Senate has claimed the sinkhole in the north-west. As such, they have made it illegal for citizens to send their soldiers to explore it. As such, there is no downtime option to do so. If you wish, you can take the paid work action and roleplay you explored some of the caves, but be aware that doing so would make you a criminal, and would provide no game benefit (you'd get the standard returns for paid work).