383YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

The fires are banked but every night breaks at dawn.

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.

Winds of Fortune

Some Heavenly Music

• Urizen

The inclusion of half-a-dozen rituals in Urizen lore - the newly created body of magical knowledge only available to Urizeni magicians - has caused great excitement in the nation of the high peaks. As awareness of it's potential spreads, a number of groups within the nation have come forward to propose their own magical texts for conclusion in the corpus of Urizen lore. Adding a ritual to Urizen lore requires the ritual text be sent to the celestial library via the Gift of Knowledge ritual - a ritual that is not itself part of Urizen Lore. As a consequence these custodians of ritual grimoires must come to Anvil and find someone (ideally a fellow Urizeni) capable of working the magic required. Enthusiasm for the novel only goes so far however. A respect for Ambition and Prosperity mean that most of those who have proposed that their tomes become part of Urizen lore want something in return for their largesse...

You can learn about the groups who have rituals to add to the new body of Urizeni magical knowledge - and what they want in return - here

Cloud Waves Break

• Of special note for all Imperial citizens, but especially: storytellers, bards, and musicians; priests; members of Conclave orders; adepts of Night and Autumn lore; those seeking a new start in life.

A peculiar fog with memory-eroding qualities is seeping across the Empire. Many of those exposed to it find their recollection of the smaller details of their life have been lost, or altered slightly. Confusion spreads, but a few find the loss of memory inspires them to profoundly change their path through life.

Solutions to the eerie fog's effects have been found, and some of them suggest actions that can be taken during the Solstice to help mitigate it's impact.

As is common with such magical events, there is also news of perturbations to the effects of certain rituals - especially those dealing with memory and identity - but more peculiarly there is also talk of odd figures in the mists - of tulpas with an unsettling taste for human and orc memories.

You can learn about this strange fog, the steps to counter its effects, and the perturbation of certain rituals in Cloud waves break.

A Horn Resounding

• Young citizens; parents; Gatekeepers

In the wake of the Autumn Equinox, young people all across the Empire have undergone uncanny growth spurts. It starts with a burst of energy and that lasts for a month or so, and when it ends they have visibly aged by between one and three years! Stories filtering out of Wintermark suggest that the change has been sparked by a combination of a mysterious magical horn and possibly ill-advised Summer magic intended to call forth heroes.

Whatever the cause, this unwarranted event offers it's own opportunities. One Highborn chapter for example, eager to prove an esoteric theory about reborn heroes, offers a dose of True Liao to the most virtuous of these "Summer Children", with the intention they use it to receive a vision of their past-life that might explain their sudden maturiation.

At the same time, a whole bevy of eternals offer boons to any of these children prepared to commit themselves to their "heroic destiny" - whatever that means. Indeed, the eternals have very different ideas of what counts as a "heroic destiny" - and anyone tempted to accept their boons might give thought to what that might entail.

You can learn about the peculiar growth spurt, the Highborn offer, and the opportunities provided in A horn resounding.

Impossible Landscapes (Plenipotentiary)

• Archmages; the Silver Chalice; Master of the Koboldi; the Seer of the Gateway; Livia of the Spire of Celestial Cascade, Lord Colwynn de Rondell, and Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato; a whole gaggle of mystics, heroes, Winterfolk, Freeborn, and more

Five of the Imperial Archmages have invited eternals to attend a parley with them, as representatives of the Empire and the Conclave. Replies have been received, and arrangements have been made.

During the Winter Solstice, Lord Rain will hold court for the first time in over three centuries; favoured emissaries of the Walker on the Littoral and the Spiral Dancer will meet with very different groups of truth-seekers; and the City of Gold and Lead will arrange a meeting with emissaries of other cities to see what can be done about the Sanguine Market.

The King Beneath the Mountain has also responded enthusiastically to an invitation from the Summer Archmage, but has apparently made different arrangements, which do not include parley. Very public arrangements, in fact, which we will learn more about... very shortly.

As for the plenipotentiaries for the Winter Solstice, you can learn all about them in Impossible landscapes.

Stone and stone

• Master of the Koboldi; Archmage of Summer; Master of Ice and Darkness; Imperial Orcs; Urizen; people of Miekarova, Hahnmark, Mournwold, Weirwater, Miaren, Upwold, and Temeschwar

The eternal Adamant, He Who Sits on the Granite Throne, King Beneath the Mountain, the Deep Dragon with the Glinting Heart, has responded to a plenipotentiary from the Summer archmage by dispatching dozens of his koboldi servants to all corners of the Empire. Looking to share their enthusiasm for building impressive structures with Imperial citizens, they have identified a number of special opportunities, just in time for the appointment of the Master of the Koboldi by the Imperial Conclave.

In addition to opportunities to create, however, they've also identified an opportunity for terrible destruction. Namely, a great horde of monstrous trogoni gathering in the depths of Lorenzo's Deep Pockets in the north-western Empire. Don't worry though; they have a solution! There's not a hole so large that the koboldi can't plug it with a bit of mithril, a lot of hard work, and the help of a few hundred bold adventurers!

You can learn all about the opportunities for building presented by the koboldi, and about the threat in the north-west, in Stone and stone.

Apples from a tree

• Wintermark, Varushka, the Marches, the Brass Coast; the Prosperity Assembly

The Empire has been wrestling with the contentious question of how the Empire's most precious resources - mithril, weirwood, white granite, and ilium - should be allocated for some time now. Details have been prepared outlining an opportunity to construct a trading hall in Wintermark, and a market in Varushka. The outstanding opportunities to take advantage of similar situations in the Marches and the Brass Coast have likewise been updated. The problem is, there's only so much to go around. Someone is going to lose out...

At the same time, all of these opportunities arguably began with the Prosperity Assembly. In recognition of this, a unique opportunity has been presented for the Cardinal of Prosperity to lead the way in blazing a trail away from the Bourse and toward a new, more Prosperous, Empire.

You can learn about these opportunities in Apples from a tree.

The Price of Wisdom

• Imperial Synod; the General , Wisdom, Urizen, and Freeborn assemblies; the Imperial Senate; sword scholars

Between them, the Assembly of Wisdom and the sword scholars of Urizen are obstructing anyone trying to enact a Synod mandate that has not been upheld with a greater majority. Several have failed as a result. A number of statements of principle and one mandate were upheld during the Autumn Equinox relating to the heirs of Sulemaine. There have been incendiary calls for action, and calmer voices urging debate and discussion rather than open opposition to the Synod. Decisions need to be made, some of which may have implications that go far beyond the questioning of the Synod authority by the Wise.

There are other considerations as well; the Urizen Assembly has expressed unequivocal support for the swords scholars, and the opportunity exists to solidify that support in Morrow. At the same time, the Freeborn Assembly has made it's own statement of solidarity with the sword scholars, reminding the faithful of the Brass Coast of their own strained relationship with the Synod.

You can learn about this developing situation and the many ways it might be addressed in the price of wisdom.

From the Sieve of Your Hands

• Urizen, especially those in Spiral; Urizen Assembly; General of the Citadel Guard; Doyen of the Spires; Imperial Synod, Imperial Senate, Imperial Conclave

During the Autumn Equinox, the Imperial Senate ceded the regions of Ankra, Cinion, and Ateri in Spiral as part of the Grendel peace treaty. Provisions were made to allow citizens currently in those regions two seasons' grace to relocate to Imperial territory with all of their possessions. The new governor of Spiral, the Salt Lord Mahiri Kaliact, has a different proposition. Stay, and stay out of her affairs, and both sides might still find Prosperity.

This might include the sentinels of the Citadel Guard. With so much of their nation conquered by orcs, the only Urizen army has been on the verge of collapse for some time. The Grendel governor has a proposal to make, one that could secure it's short-term survival... and perhaps lead to a longer lasting solution.

You can learn all about events in Spiral under the Grendel in From the sieve of your hands.

Other Events

There are a number of other events and situations which are noteworthy, but which for whatever reason have not lead to a full Wind of Fortune in their own right.

Mandates

A number of mandates were upheld at the Autumn Equinox Solstice and enacted in the months that followed. You can find a complete list here.

Some mandates were upheld by their respective assemblies but failed due to the intervention of the Wisdom assembly and the sword scholars. Judgement 7 (encourage Imperial citizens to find opportunities for cooperation with the eternals), Judgement 17 (encourage citizens to travel to Zenith and offer aid there),Judgement 52 (encourage Marcher pilgrims to make a pilgrimage to Holberg), and Judgement 82) (encourage the virtuous to undertake a pilgrimage of dreams) were all ineffective as a consequence.

Imperial Lore

No new rituals were added to Imperial lore during the Autumn Equinox.

Urizen Lore

Five new rituals became part of Urizen lore during the Autumn Equinox: Swords in the Noonday Sun, Good Green Oak, Eyes of the Hills, Hook of the Hoarfrost Guardian, and Ethereal Courier.

Other Media

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