Parched earth

Lutomysla paced up and down the parador, leaving her glass of syrah untouched. The work with the magicians of the Unfettered Mind was going well and together they were making excellent progress on the initial section of the appraisal. Provided the Empire could make the neccessary preparations, she was confident that they would be able to destroy these Dry Patricians. That would remove the immediate threat of the blight and buy them time to find the source of this threat and deal with it. There was no progress on that part yet, but hopefully the Silent Bell would turn up something useful.

But that still left the problem of how to remove the blight once the source was dealt with. Using magic to hold the curse at bay had prevented it spreading to the rest of Madruga, but the price for that had been paid by the Great Grasses. The once beautiful grasslands were now a wasteland, blighted by drought, and rendered barren and utterly uninhabitable. Someone, something, some power had invoked the cruel hunger of the Winter on the mortal world, literally salting the earth. In theory the land might recover naturally once the curse was broken, but that could take decades or more. There had to be a better way, but thus far they had nothing to show for their efforts.

One of her fellow magicians called her name and without thinking she spun to face him. Her long heavy robes billowed out and the hem caught the stem of the fine glass sending it tumbling, the contents cascading over the table and all over her precious notes. She shrieked in horror and frantically tried to blot the page, but it was painfully clear it was already too late. The ink had still been wet and now the bitter syrah had washed it clean. There was nothing to be saved, she might as well be blotting an empty page for all the good it was doing.

An empty page...

She might as well be blotting an empty page...

"Virgil" she shouted, leaping to her feet and waving the sodden pages around triumphantly. "I think I've got it!"

A lifeless plain of ash and salt where once an emerald sea of grass danced.

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Overview

The Imperial Senate has asked Lutomysla Niegoslava to undertake an appraisal of the Dry Patrician problem in Madruga. The motion refers to a region in Madruga, the Great Grasses which over the last year or so has been afflicted by a terrible magical curse which has slowly blighted the area, turning it into a ruined wasteland.

Nothing can live there now, the only thing that endures are awful entities that the Empire has called the Parched. Magicians of the Silver Chalice who had an opportunity to study them identified two different types of Parched, Ashwalkers and the more dangerous Dry Patricians. Together with the blight itself, they represent a serious threat to the territory. The problem is very clearly magical in nature, so Lutomysla, as an experienced cabalist, seems like the ideal choice for this appraisal.

The first step has been to liaise with the magicians of the Unfettered Mind. The Grandmaster asked members of their order to research the Blight and they have responded enthusiastically. Lutomysla finds it easy to work with the order, allowing them to conduct the mainstay of the magical research while she focuses on the logistics needed to make their findings useful.

The original plan was for the academically minded magicians to be protected by members of the Rod and Shield. The Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind asked the Rod and Shield to help, but since that request was not made on behalf of the order it has largely fallen on deaf ears. A Conclave order won't take instruction in this way from the Grandmaster of another order. Without the battle mages of the Rod and Shield to ensure safety, the risks faced by the Unfettered Mind have increased considerably. That hasn't limited what they can achieve, but it has put many of them in greater danger than they would otherwise be.

After careful analysis of the threat posed by the Blight, Lutomysla and the Order have worked on a three pronged approach to tackle the problem - preventing the spread of the blight is a key element and certainly seems like the pressing concern. However any long term solution also needs to consider what can be done to end the threat permanently and also what might be attempted to restore the land. With Lutomysla's help, the Order's magicians have been able to produce some answers to at least two of these questions.

Halting the Curse

• Each of the three rune-marked Dry Patricians appears to be a focus for the expansion of the Blight
• Stopping each of these horrors would halt the expansion into a neighbouring region for a year
• Each Dry Patrician requires a magnitude 18 Words of Ending to be cast on it to destroy it

Having studied the movements of the Parched, the Unfettered Mind confirm that each of the three rune-marked Dry Patricians is the focus of a significant expansion of the Blight. Each one is pushing towards a neighbouring region - if they are not stopped then their presence will cause the blight to spread. The situation in the Blightheart is grave - it's not clear yet how it could be restored. That makes it more important than ever to ensure that the blight does not spread any further. The only way to achieve that in the short term is to intercept the three Dry Patricians and destroy them.

Previous work by Imperial magicians has established that a Dry Patrician can be destroyed using the Words of Ending ritual performed at magnitude eighteen. This ritual, which normally only affects magic items, will destroy one of the monsters because they are not alive in any meaningful sense of the word. This theory is supported by ceremonies of insight which reveal the Parched have no aura - they are not humans, orcs, creatures of the realm, ghosts, or "other". Rather they are a construct of some kind, more akin to an ushabti than anything conscious. The lesser Parched, the Ashwalkers are similar - but they can be destroyed with a less powerful ritual - Turns the Circle.

All the evidence demonstrates that the Parched are filled with Winter magic that resonates with hunger, perhaps drawn directly from a part of the Winter Realm known as the Silent Kingdom. The nature of hunger is to consume everything - as you grow hungrier, the feeling becomes all consuming. Lutomysla believes that the essential nature of the Ashwalkers is that of a human body - crudely animated by winter magic to go in search of water to consume - but still a body. Hence why they are destroyed by a Spring ritual that destroys a body. As their thirst can never be slaked, the longer the Parched spend in the Blight, the hungrier they become. Eventually the winter magic completely consumes the body until all that is left is skin and bones. At that point they need a more powerful ritual like Words of Ending that can destroy an object or a thing.

Three of the Dry Patricians are moving steadily towards lands adjacent to the Great Grasses, accompanied by a large number of Ashwalkers. If they are allowed to consume the water there, then after three seasons those regions will become as blighted as the Grasses are now. Conversely it took a year for these three Dry Patricians to become so consumed by hunger that it drives them to leave the blight. Each Patrician that the Empire can destroy will halt the threat to a neighbouring region for a year.

With careful examination of the Sentinel Gate the Empire has managed to locate three different conjunctions that Imperial heroes could use to assail the Dry Patricians.

Conjunctions

Sobral Grasses

• The Yoorn-marked Patrician threatens the Sobral Grasses in Segura, if it is not killed then the region will start to become blighted
• Gideon of the Farthest Shore, a member of the Unfettered Mind, has been cut off while attempting to destroy the Dry Patrician
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind is responsible for rescuing the magician and destroying the Patrician

Gideon of the Farthest Shore is a highly skilled Winter mage who enjoys the challenge of striving to cast the most powerful ritual enchantments possible while working alone. To achieve the most powerful effects, he combines a Ring of Adversity, and a Phlegmatic Staff with Decoctions of the Hungry Moon. To further boost his effective skill, to the required eighteen magnitude, he apparently called in a certain boon from the eternal Kaela, that he received some years ago. With her assistance, he was confident that he could perform the ritual alone, and so he set out to confront one of the Dry Patricians.

Perhaps predictably that attempt has not gone as hoped. The bodyguards who were with him have been overpowered and he is trapped and unable to escape. If he is not rescued, he will surely die. If that happens, then it will make other members of the order think twice before venturing into dangerous territory in the near future. That would mean that the Unfettered Mind won't respond to any attempt to have them undertake any action that could involve any risk of personal danger for the next year.

Gideon's last known whereabouts was just north of Gita's Veils in the Sobral Grasses in Segura. There is a conjunction to the site which is the best chance to rescue the magician. However he went there intending to intercept the Yoorn-marked Patrician that is heading in that direction, so it is also a chance to destroy one of the three Dry Patricians that is pushing the expansion out of the Great Grasses. Gideon is definitely still alive, so if the Empire can rescue him, and overpower the Parched, then Gideon has everything he needs to perform Words of Ending to destroy the Patrician himself. He will of course need to be protected throughout, particularly as he has already been shown to have a somewhat cavalier approach to personal safety. Given that this is a clear threat to a member of the Unfettered Mind, it is the responsibility of the Grandmaster, Eliza, to rescue the magician and destroy the Patrician

Jade Range

• The Irremais-marked Patrician is threatening the Jade Range in Kahraman, if it is not killed then the region will start to become blighted
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Mistress of the Dust Parador is responsible for dealing with the Lasambrian champion and destroying the Patrician
• The heroes will need to be able to cast Words of Ending at magnitude 18 on the Dry Patrician

One of the three rune-marked Dry Patricians, the one bearing the rune Irremais, is headed north from the Blightheart, crossing the border into Kahraman. Their presence here would be a disaster, not least because it would threaten the Dust Parador. This Parador is located in a prime spot in the western Jade Range next to one of the major roads leading down toward Segura and Madruga. Whether the Parched are being drawn to the Parador by the trade in mithril, the luxurious accommodation or just following the road is impossible to know at this point. What is certain is that it would be a disaster if they are not stopped.

There is a conjunction to the area, which is perfectly timed to allow a group of Imperial heroes to destroy the Dry Patrician leading the force if they can overcome the Parched long enough to perform the ritual. Doing so will not be easy, but if they fail, then the Dust Parador will be able to buy no more than 12 wains of mithril following the Spring Equinox. If the blight takes hold, that amount will drop by 3 wains every season until no mithril is available.

There is a complicating factor - scouts report the presence of a Lasambrian champion in the area, Hitar of the Jaboon. According to local rumours, this orc has been poking around the Jade Range, investigating the Parched. He claims to be a disciple of Vigilance, carries a "relic of his faith" and is concerned by the threat posed by the Parched to the "Lasambrian lands" (Many of the Lasambrians claim much of the Brass Coast were once their lands). According to the latest reports this orc has been badly wounded battling the Parched. Hitar's fate will be in the hands of the Imperial heroes, assuming they can defeat the Parched. Given that this is a clear threat to the Dust Parador it is the responsibility of the Mistress of the Dust Parador, Nemi i Riqueza, to destroy the Patrician and deal with the Lasambrian champion.

Lucksprings

• The Naeve-marked Patrician threatens the Lucksprings in Segura, if it is not killed then the region will start to become blighted
• The eternal Azoth, has asked the Empire to bring back some of the dust from the Patrician so the being can study it
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• Hakima of Salt and Sand Bakar i Riqueza is responsible for rescuing the dust and destroying the Patrician
• The heroes will need to be able to cast Words of Ending at magnitude 18 on the Dry Patrician

The third Patrician, the one marked with the Naeve rune is heading south for the Lucksprings in Segura. Their presence here is a significant risk, they need to be destroyed to prevent the region beginning to succumb to the blight. The Lucksprings are home to the newly regained Cerevado Nets which provides a valuable bounty of ilium. The Nets are not under threat yet, but if the region becomes blighted then output would be damaged next season.

Destroying the Dry Patrician would ensure that the Lucksprings are safe from the blight, for the next year at least. However, there may be additional opportunities. A herald of the Crucible has conveyed a message from his eternal master. The Azoth wishes the Empire to recover some of the dust from this specific Patrician's corpse. Apparently, the Azoth is fascinated by the transformation that has taken place to cause this rune to appear and wishes to make a study of it. If the Empire can bring some part of the dust left behind by the Dry Patrician then the eternal will share whatever they can learn about its mystery with the Empire.

The Azoth goes further however. They have apparently been collaborating with an Imperial magician, Bakar i Riqueza, to try to find a way to create an alchemical substance that might destroy the Parched. The ideal would be an alchemical concoction that would destroy a Dry Patrician, but thus far that has evaded them. However, by collaborating with the Azoth, Bakar i Riqueza, has developed a ritual that allows him to create a substance that will destroy the Ashwalkers, the least powerful of the Parched, quickly and efficiently. The Azoth claims to have used their powers to help Bakar i Riqueza formulate the ritual, which has allowed them to create a ritual text for the spell. If what the eternal says is true, then this could be a valuable weapon against the Blight.

Bakar i Riqueza is the Hakima of Salt and Sand which is built in the shadow of the Towers of Quzar, in Madruga, not far from the edge of the Blight. It isn't directly threatened yet, but given Azoth's involvement with Bakar i Riqueza, and their experience working with the hakima of the Brass Coast, the Civil Service considers the Freeborn magician to be responsible for overseeing the conjunction.

Preparations

• Destroying a Dry Patrician requires a successful casting of Words of Ending at Magnitude 18
• There are magical items and potions that can boost Winter lore, so that the ritual can be cast by fewer magicians
• The Winter archmage has the Chain of Aesh, which would reduce the magnitude of the ritual to 8
• The Parched inflict deadly wounds that are infected, and the Patricians can Weaken their enemies - heroes should prepare accordingly

To ensure the best possible chance of success Lutomysla's report includes information on what Imperial heroes might face when fighting the Parched. She notes that neither the Ashwalkers or the Dry Patricians can be permanently destroyed without the use of magic. The winter magic that animates them will keep the constructs moving, no matter how much damage they take. To destroy an Ashwalker requires a ritualist to perform Turns the Circle on the body. This ritual is magnitude four, so ought to be relatively easy for a Spring ritualist to cast. Crucially it can affect more than one Ashwalker if the bodies are close enough and the ritual is cast at higher magnitude, and the creatures do not seem to be able to regain animation once the ritual begins.

Much more difficult for a single magician is attempting to cast Words of Ending at magnitude eighteen. There is at least one powerful Highborn master of Day magic able to cast rituals of that magnitude without a coven at Anvil, but it is not known if there are any Winter or Spring ritualists who can achieve such a feat. The Archmage of Winter may be best placed to know who to ask, but they could also provide other assistance if they wished. They are the bearer of the Chain of Aesh which can reduce the magnitude of a Winter ritual by ten, which could make it significantly easier to perform. If not, then items such as those used by Gideon of the Farthest Shore - a Ring of Adversity (or Atun's Ring), a Phlegmatic Staff or Decoctions of the Hungry Moon could all be of benefit.

Whatever preparations are planned, Lutomysla warns that the Dry Patricians are known to be able to unleash a wave of Winter magic at their enemies that Weakens them. This is a powerful effect similar to the Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw. However Lutomysla points out that the range of such magic is very limited; anyone further than twenty feet from the Dry Patrician would not be affected. The right battle plan might ensure that only some of the heroes are hit by the curse. Whatever happens, previous encounters have proved that methods to cure Weakness will be invaluable, Bladeroot is the obvious herb to take, provided there are physicks available to apply it. Feverfail Elixir is more expensive, but would be the dependable way to mitigate the effects of the winter magic. The purify spell, and rituals such as Renewed Strength of the New Day would also work but unlike potions and herbs, their use relies on the magicians not being weakened themselves.

Last, but not least, the wounds inflicted by the Parched can be deadly. Those returning to Anvil should visit the Anvil Field Hospital, or consult their own physick if they have suffered any severe wounds in the battle. Such injuries can be worse than they appear and can prove fatal if left untreated.

Ending the Threat

• Lutomysla and the Unfettered Mind agree that the only way to permanently stop the Blight is to remove the source of the magic
• All the evidence points the blight being the fault of the Aldea di Tutamen family
• The Silent Bell may have more information on this malevolent figure and how they might be dealt with

If all three rune-marked Dry Patricians are destroyed, then that will stop the Blight expanding at least for the next year. There is no telling what might happen after that point, but it would buy the Empire some time and ensure that no more land was poisoned with salt and dust. The Blight would be contained in the Blightheart, at least for the time being.

To deal with the threat once and for all would require the Empire to find a way to remove the source of the Blight. This is difficult as the blighted area is effectively impassable to mortals. The heroes of Anvil might attempt a brief sojourn there, courtesy of the Sentinel Gate, but death would come quickly for anyone who tarried there for long. Without a suitable conjunction it is not possible at this time for the magicians to get to the center of the Blight to study it and work out how it might be countered.

However, there is some evidence that the Aldea di Tutamen family of the Great Grasses were the original source of the blight. There is talk that they experimented with a powerful Winter ritual, attempting to return life to some mummified remains. Why they thought this would work is unclear. Imperial magic has never discovered a way to bring the dead back to life - any such efforts that don't simply fail outright always result in something twisted and dangerous that can only be considered to be a resurrection in the very loosest sense. Evidently, this attempt was no exception to that rule, but the Tutamen's may have unleashed the curse on Madruga through their actions.

Whatever the source, it is clearly an ongoing effect and given it has been ongoing for more than a year now, it seems more than likely it will continue until it is dealt with. But until they are in a position to study the source of the curse, the order can't offer immediate insight.

However, Lutomysla is aware that the Assembly of Nine, has asked the Silent Bell to "investigate the Blightheart of Madruga, its connections to the Tutamen family of the Brass Coast, and their place in the history of Highguard." The Silent Bell gather much of their information through mundane means, and it is possible that they will be able to provide the Empire with more information on the source of the Blight in Madruga. Hopefully that will present a way to resolve the matter once and for all, or at least present an avenue to explore that option. Their report will be delivered at the Spring Equinox. Anyone interested in finding out more about how to end the threat of the Blight should confer with them.

Participation: Unfettered Mind

• Any member of the Unfettered Mind is free to roleplay that they took part in the expedition to investigate the blight

Any member of the Unfettered Mind is free to roleplay that they took part in the actions of the order over the past season in Madruga and is free to create their own stories of their visit, within reason. It has likely been dangerous and any member of the order can email plot with your CID before 22:00 on the 8^th of June to receive a traumatic wound in your pack.

Healing the Land

• A member of the Unfettered Mind has created an Arcane Projection of magnitude 140 that would cause the Scorerro to break its bounds and flood the surrounding lands
• The ritual could be used at the Summer Solstice to try and cleanse the Great Grasses
• The eternal Ossegrahn could offer aid with the ritual
• The Conclave could endorse the casting of the ritual to prevent those involved facing legal recriminations for any damage the ritual causes

Removing the cause of the Blight won't do anything to repair the damage the curse has already caused. Regrow the Land's Heart would provide some help, but the ritual speeds the natural regrowth of the land, it is not powerful enough to remove a blasted wasteland like the blight, not more than it could remove the Black Plateau. To try and undo the damage that has been caused would require something... more drastic.

A Vate from the Unfettered Mind, Dyan of Eagle's Striding, has created an arcane projection that would be powerful enough to heal the land. The Spring ritual they propose is difficult, with a magnitude of one-hundred-and-forty, and might well prove contentious. Their plan is to cause the Scorrero to swell with water to the point where it bursts its banks and floods the surrounding land. There would be damage to the bridges over the Scorrero, and flooding all along the course of the rivers. However the Great Grasses was a large flat, low laying plane, and much of the flood waters would wash out over the region. With enough power the ritual would be able to wash the area clean.

There are obvious flaws to this approach, not least that the bridges over the river would almost certainly be destroyed by the floods and there would be damage to Imperial property on either side of the Scorrero. Such rituals have met with significant opposition in recent times, but most of that has come from the Marchers, and this ritual definitely wouldn't affect anywhere outside the Brass Coast, so that should be less of a problem. The vate has opted to send the arcane projection to the Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind so that they can decide what, if anything, to do with it. If the decision is made to cast the ritual, Lutomysla, suggests that it would be prudent for the magicians involved to seek the endorsement of the Conclave for their actions before casting the ritual.

However Lutomysla cautions that the Scorrero is a very fast flowing powerful river, which is suffused with ilium washed down from the mountains. That was the source of the wealth of the Scorrero Nets, and their successors the Cerevado Nets. It will also make the effects of this ritual harder to predict. There are likely to be long-lasting effects, some of which could well be permanent. The Great Grasses have been destroyed by the Blight, they are now nothing but a desert of ash and salt. There is no magic that can return them to their former state, but Dyan's ritual would provide a way to replace the Blight with something that could at least sustain life.

One other flaw in the ritual is that it can only be cast when the water levels in the Scorrero river have peaked - that is during the Summer Solstice. The ritual would have to be performed not at this summit, but the next, otherwise the Empire would need to wait a year.

Whatever the decision Lutomysla strongly suggests that the Conclave discuss the proposal with Lord Rain. The eternal has amity and has already freely offered their help in tackling the Blightheart. Given that the eternal's association with rain and their concern with healing and the preservation of life, it seems certain that they could offer valuable help with the ritual, if the Empire were prepared to ask them. The Archmage of Spring could do so easily, using the power of plenipotentiary, but of course that would mean giving up the opportunity to ask the Cupbearer or any other Spring eternal for aid on other matters.

Lutomysla does have one final word of warning. In the strongest possible terms, she admonishes that the ritual to flood the Great Grasses should not be cast until the source of the curse is dealt with, otherwise the Empire will be flooding a region with Spring magic while the area continues to labour under an active Winter curse. Both Lutomysla and Dyan disavow all responsibility for the outcome if the Empire chooses to use the ritual in this way.

Grand Lodge

Grand Lodge of the Silver Chalice

Commission Type: Grand Lodge

Location: Lightsea, Madruga; Chalcis Mount, Reikos; or Wood Heath, Hahnmark

Cost: 20 white granite, 20 mithril, and 15 thrones

Effects: Allows Silver Chalice to be guided without the need for an opportunity. Adds 15 mana crystals to the Conclave font each season

• Lutomysla has a proposal to allow the Silver Chalice to tackle problems like the Blight without waiting for an opportunity
• It requires a senate motion to commission a grand lodge to serve as a base of operations for the order
• The lodge would require 20 wains of white granite and 20 wains of mithril and 120 crowns and take one season to construct

Lutomysla has worked conscientiously with the Unfettered Mind to look at ways they can use experimental magic to defeat the Dry Patricians and tackle the problems caused by the Blight. However they were not the first Conclave order to apply their skills and knowledge to the problems in Madruga. Local Hakima asked the Conclave for help and the Silver Chalice stepped in to utilise "healing magic for the good of the empire". The skills and knowledge of their members have already provided useful insight and aid in countering the Blight. Lutomysla believes that with the right changes and investment they could do so again.

What Lutomysla imagines is an application of the Silver Chalice's manifesto. In recent times the Empire has been beset by disasters of one kind or another. Rituals and other natural phenomena have brought disaster and wrought strife. The order's manifesto states that the "strength of the Empire relies on its citizens, thus by keeping citizens healthy, we strengthen the Empire.". With the ability to organise members, the Silver Chalice could act decisively and respond quickly, with members dispatched to tackle problems of illness or suffering.

To allow the order to act effectively would need a Senate motion to commission a grand lodge. This would be a single location that could house members of the order, support their research and their work, and serve as a central point for organising any response in the future. It would require a commission and need 20 wains of white granite, 20 wains of mithril and 120 crowns and take three months to complete. Once finished, it would provide a number of benefits. Lutomysla's designs incorporate a comfortable residence for the Grandmaster of the order. While they wouldn't need to live at the grand lodge, their presence there would help the smooth running of the order, so it makes sense to encourage that. The rooms would not be palatial, but they would include a study and a personal library - something befitting the Empire's preeminent magical healer.

More importantly, having a recognised meeting place magicians of the Conclave would encourage donations to the font. It would help to boost the Conclave's resources. Lutomysla's prognostications show that once the lodge was complete, it would provide a steady income of 15 mana into the font each season. While small, this would be in addition to any mana derived from members.

Based on the manifesto's order the lodge would enable their Grandmaster to ask members of the Silver Chalice to travel anywhere their unique combination of interests and skills might be of benefit. To do that would require the same method that all the grandmasters currently use to issue such a request - a declaration of concord which must be declared on behalf of the order (no order will respond to a request by a grandmaster of a different order or another Conclave officer for that matter). However the Silver Chalice could issue a request to members of their order without waiting for the civil service to identify a suitable opportunity for them to help, (as happened this time with the Unfettered Mind and the Rod and Shield).

The Silver Chalice could be asked to look into any ongoing event or problem where healing was required. To achieve a positive outcome, it would have to be a situation where members of the order could bring succour to people who had been harmed by war, disaster or malevolent magic. Provided the incident they were looking into was relevant to the expertise of the Silver Chalice then it would result in an opportunity to address the problem. If the order were asked to look into ways to construct a bridge over a river, for example, then there would be negligible benefits arising from that.

Lutomysla has identified three possible locations for the grand lodge. All the benefits described above would be available regardless of where the grand lodge was built, but the following locations might be even more beneficial.

Quzar, Lightsea, Madruga

• Building the grand lodge in Madruga would focus the Order on dealing with magical catastrophes like the blight
• The presence of so many hakima and kohan would mean that the order would not need to worry for their own security when sent to investigate something

Building the grand lodge of the Silver Chalice in Madruga would help to focus minds on magical disasters like the Blight. It would give the magicians of the order a chance to study the blight, but even once that is dealt with, there would be valuable additional benefits. Quzar is a bustling settlement that serves as the annual meeting place of the Hakima of the Brass Coast. They are the guardians of magical lore in the Freeborn tribe, with a responsibility to act in the interests of the nation, rather than personal or family loyalty. Perhaps more importantly they enjoy the service of groups of kohan who fight to protect the hakima. Basing the grand lodge of the Silver Chalice would ensure that the order had access to enough brave warriors to ensure that they need not fear for their lives when asked to investigate a dangerous location. It wouldn't remove security worries completely, but it would mean that the order's magicians were as well protected as they could be.

High Chalcis, Chalcis Mount, Reikos

Herbs of Reikos
15 crowns	32 random herbs
35 crowns	60 random herbs
60 crowns	84 random herbs

• Building the grand lodge in Reikos would focus the Order on dealing with the scars of war
• The bounteous herb gardens would mean that the Grandmaster could purchase herbs each season

Building the grand lodge in Reikos would focus the order on healing wounds that were the result of war. War can leave deep wounds, even on the land itself. Reikos was left scarred and devastated by the Druj occupation, as the Druj tried to break the spirit of the people they conquered. There are people living in Reikos today who would benefit from the healing wisdom of the Silver Chalice, but there could be other benefits. High Chalcis is the centre of Highborn herb craft and helps to boost the production of herb gardens across the territory. There are more herbalists in High Chalcis than anywhere else in Highguard and they benefit from access to a deep supply of herbs. Basing the grand lodge of the Silver Chalice would ensure that the Grandmaster could purchase enough herbs to reduce the chance that their supply would run too low to be able to help whilst in Anvil or elsewhere.

New Dunhall, Wood Heath, Hahnmark

Wealth of the Wilds
25 crowns	3 Escharotic Cauldron
32 crowns	3 Phial of the Sun
36 crowns	2 Boneweaver
41 crowns	1 Moonsilver Doublet

• Building the grand lodge in Hahnmark would focus the Order on dealing with natural disasters
• The presence of the foremost artisans in the Empire would mean that the Grandmaster could purchase certain magic items each season

Building the grand lodge in Hahnmark would focus the order on restoring the wellbeing of those who suffered in natural disasters. Entire settlements disappeared into the Dunsfall Sinkhole when it opened, reflecting the grave threat such disasters pose. The Sinkhole is stable now, but there would be other benefits of building the grand lodge here. The grimnir tradition is well established in Wintermark and those who put the healing arts before their own heroism are given the highest respect for their sacrifice. They can usually count on the support of their fellow Wintermarkers, including some of finest artisans in the Empire. Establishing the lodge here would allow the Grandmaster to purchase valuable magic items suitable for healing as part of the benefits to be had.

Further Reading

• Fading like a Flower
• Various storms and saints
• Not a drop to drink
• Colourblind