Towers behind the moon

"And what does this Emissary of the Bound King do exactly?"

Jorgen was keeping his temper, but only just. It had been a long three months. He found he was looking forward to people beginning to arrive for the summit. At the end of the day, while he might grumble and grouse, he actually liked helping people. They could sometimes be abrasive, or arrogant, or clueless, but they were generally sincere and their queries served a purpose, even if they weren't always straight with him about what that purpose was. It didn't help that it felt like he'd spent most of the last three months talking to heralds, who seemed to take joy in making him, personally, angry.

"Oh, well of course... what they do is... why they serve as an emissary, you see. An emissary... for the Bound King." The shorter of the two heralds, a thick-set fellow in rich finery that reminded the civil servant of Highborn attire but ripped and torn and pierced with hooks and metal spikes, had a gurgling voice that made it sound like it was gargling snot and drawing pins. It didn't make an effort to conceal the sniggering contempt in its voice, its eyes flickering with malicious joy as it took great pleasure in, once again, answering Jorgen's question in the least helpful way properly.

"Yes, I understand that." said Jorgen, marshalling his dwindling reserves of patience. "But what does that entail?"

"Oooooh, you want specifics! The civil servant want's specifics Obleronet!"

No, thought Jorgen seething internally. What I want is to punch you on your weird little nosse, you arrogant... The other herald, etoliated and with every inch of their skin marked with curling cicatrix scars in the shape of sinister sigils, leant forward conspiratorially.

"Then we should give them to him, Leronetob! Why, the Emisary of the Bound King... they are responsible for... resolving... situations to the benefit of our master, the King on the Throne of Chains. When there is a ... problem... they take the lead in... dealing with the situation. If someone causes a problem for the Pale Monarch... why the Emissary... they would ... ensure the problem was... taken care of."

"You're talking about murdering people aren't you? Because honestly, we don't encourage that sort of thing here."

Both heralds pretended to look shocked, but exchanged smirking glances.

"Oh no no no!" said the first one with a grimace that Jorgen supposed was meant to be a smile. "It's all very much above board! The Steward of the Bonedust Marches is a friend of the Empire remember? The Emissary just... acts as the cold hand of the Lord Restrainéd when He wishes to... touch... the Empire. To.. help... its citizens."

The other one broke in, echoing its partner's expression.

"And in return they receive... rich recompense. They are compensated for their time... you might say. They reap the rewards for... efficient handling... of situations. The kinds of rewards only the King of the Thrice-cursed can provide them with..."

They both giggled, Jorgen mentally counted to ten.

"Right, I understand that now. A representative of Tharim."

Both of them winced when he mentioned the eternals most common name, and he found that made him feel a little better.

"So who is it?"

They both burst out laughing.

"Oh dear me no!" said the taller one, while their partner continued to chortle. "We're not allowed to tell you that. That's for our master, and the Emissary to know..."

The both stopped laughing, all joviality gone, their faces flat and full of threat and malice.

"... and for you to find out." said the shorter of the two in a voice like a knife being sharpened. And then they both smiled again, and Jorgen felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

Mortal Magic

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The tally of shrouds

• The stars are missing in Ossium and Semmerholm; naga in these territories experience a powerful roleplaying effect

The night skies over Ossium and Semmerholm are inky black, just as they were last season. More traditional shrouds - the Penumbral Veil - hang over the Freeborn territories of Madruga and Kahraman. The shrouds that previously hung over the Barrens, Spiral, and Zenith have now faded away.

Naga Influence

Any naga who have spent significant time in the Ossium or Semmerholm experiences the following roleplaying effect; your natural urge toward subtlety and secretiveness is greatly strengthened. Naga in general relish being mysterious and secretive, but while experiencing this potent roleplaying effect you may need to make a significant effort of will to answer direct questions or be honest about your intentions.

The roleplaying effect is significantly lessened at Anvil - indeed the longer one stays out of a territory where it applies the less pressing the urge to secrecy and subtlety becomes - but a naga with a strong lineage who has spent time in one of the shrouded territories will still experience the roleplaying effect at least until Saturday morning.

The stars of Astolat

• A peculiar shroud has warped the night sky over Astolat

Following the Autumn Equinox, a peculiar phenomenon is observed in the night sky over Astolat. While the moon and stars are still mostly visible, it seems as if there are additional constellations in the sky, unfamiliar to Imperial starwatchers. On some nights. these stars seem to resolve into actual images, visible for an hour or two after moonrise. In the northern skies, plainly visible to those who study the stars are a silver bird - perhaps a firebird - surrounded by three silver crescent moons, carrying a red rose in its talons. In the southern skies, the shimmering image of an eagle with silver cambion horns can sometimes be made out. It's not unknown for ritual magic to create peculiar imagery in the night sky - there have been recent incidents in the Brass Coast for example - but they are much less common in the skies over Dawn.

The magical birds prompt much discussion - people are not afraid but rather fascinated as to why a coven has chosen to make these specific images appear. Are they a hidden message? A prophecy? Do they refer to the heraldry of specific noble houses? Or is there deeper symbolism to the choice of creatures depicted? The images become weaker as the months progress, and by the time people are beginning to make their preparations to head for Anvil, they have vanished completely.

The Winter's Ghosts

The spirits unleashed by this ritual are rarely visible, nor entirely material; they sometimes appear as emaciated shapes, sometimes skeletal, sometimes with obvious unnatural features such as twisted horns or glowing eyes. Others manifest as nothing more than howling winds and whispered threats, or looming presences that surprise lone travellers. They never actually attack anyone, but where they pass misfortune follows.

Spirits in Casinea

• For the past three months a curse has hung over Casinea
• The effects of the curse linger at Anvil

During the Autumn Equinox, someone unleashed a terrible curse of Winter magic on the Highborn territory of Casinea. Winter's Ghosts unleashes malignant spirits to torment the people of the territory. Crops fail, animals sicken and die; inhabitants suffer malaise and nightmares; unseasonable weather causes floods and droughts. Preserved foodstuffs are ravaged by rot and mould, as are buildings and such vital implements as pit props and support beams. Misfortune, weakness, hunger and dread run rampant. Tempers fray, and everything goes wrong at once. All farms, forests, businesses, mines, mana sites and herb gardens in Casinea have provided only three quarters as much as they would usually be expected to.

The magic of the curse has died away by the dawn of the Winter Solstice, but there are still echoes of the destruction and decay wrought by its magic all over Anvil.

Castles of wisp and wonder

• Magical fortifications have been raised in Bregasland, Hahnmark, Hercynia, Kallavesa, Morrow, and Therunin

During the Autumn Equinox Imperial magicians raised a total of twelve magical fortifications in the Empire. Three of them were called from the domain of the The Breath of Winter; great castles of ice and granite were raised in the hills of Northspires Hahnmark, Caeli Morrow, and Northpines in Hercynia.

The Voice of the Quiet Forest of Navarr wove the forests of Hercynia and Therunin with magic of the Spring realm. Vast swathes of thickets and thorns were turned against the Heirs of Terunael in The Glen of Shadows, Old Ranging, and Summersend in Hercynia. The bayous of Eastring in Therunin served as moats for the walls of woven branches.

At the same time, the Sussivari Frost Coven of Wintermark raised five castles of mist over the fens of the Rushes and Ottermire in Bregasland, the marshes of West Marsh and Kallavesa Marsh in Kallavesa, and the murky waters of East Ashes in Therunin.

The Spires

• During the Autumn Equinox, the Concordium of Pallas wove an enchantment to aid the Doyen of the Spires

The Doyen of the Spires represents a unique college of magic in Urizen. Born in the wake of the destruction of the Halls of Knowledge, it is a bold project that allows magicians from across the nation to work together on the codification of ritual texts, using the Heliopticon to pool their immense magical knowledge. The loss of Spiral and Zenith impedes the work of the spires, but following the Autumn Equinox a potent enchantment settles over the Heliopticon towers, and infuses the magicians working to formulate the magic of the Regrow the Land's Heart arcane projection. Apparently created by the Concordium of Pallas coven, the enchantment functions in ways rarely observed by Urizen magicians, It seems almost as if the magic moves in some fashion, pooling and focusing wherever the work on the ritual is being done, then shifting like quicksilver strands between Heliopticon towers to another part of the nation entirely. This seems to be a function of the unique nature of the college, whose essential nature exists as more of a metaphor than a physical building. It's notable that wherever the magic is actively supporting the work of formulating the ritual, lights of all kinds take on a distinct metallic sheen. While this is most notable with the great lamps of the Heliopticon towers, it's still noticeable in the studies and libraries where magicians work to make the ambitious Spring projection a reliable ritual.

While under the effect of the Autumn magic, scholars find it much easier to communicate complex concepts concisely, and there are notably fewer errors in the messages sent via the Heliopticon. Several magicians speak not of being inspired as such, but of finding it significantly easier to see how the rough-and-ready concepts and techniques built into the arcane projection could be refined and reworked to create an effective formulaic ritual.

OOC Note: Any Urizen magician is free to roleplay that they experienced this magical effect while they were contributing to the codification of the Doyen of the Spires' ritual.

Through the Black Gate

• During the Winter Solstice it will be possible to perform Whispers through the Black Gate between 20:30 and 21:30
• The current Imperial Necromancer is Enchantress Claudia Varkulova Remys

The Black Gate can be opened to allow masters of Winter magic to commune with the spirits of the dead. For reasons that have never adequately been explained, the Gate can only be opened at twilight when it is neither quite day nor quite night. Imperial magicians prognosticate that this means that during the Winter Solstice the ritual can be performed in the hour between half-past-eight and half-past-nine. This information is, of course, of particular relevance to the Imperial Necromancer given their powers and responsibilities.

Covid Restrictions
We often have players come to the make up department for help with wounds and lineage trappings when they're being the subject of Whispers Through the Black Gate. Due to covid restrictions around providing make up for players at this event we will not be able to assist with this. Players will have to do any make up themselves using their own supplies, in a space that is not our make up area.

Denizens of the Realms

Callidus

• The High Tontine of Callidus is ongoing

The Prince of the Argent Tontine has made it known to the civil service that he would like to thanks the citizens of the Casinean Empire who took part in his Low and High Tontine and his edible high stakes game. He reminds the prosperous that the High Tontine is ongoing and notes that all those who have been involved should find correspondence from his secretaries informing them of the current shares. He will be placing a means to contact him in the hands of Oscuro Kira di Tassato, should anyone have any questions or points of order.

Sorin

• The next Trial of the Pallid Charm will be taking place at the upcoming solstice

Exquy, herald of Sorin, has made it known to the civil service that all who took part in The Trials of the Pallid Charm have been invited to the next stage of the trials. Some are progressing as trial participants, others invited to witness or perform another role. The draughir agent Anya will be sending letters to all in Anvil to explain what their role is to be, options they have to change who is with them, and to remind folk who took part, in case the details of the conversation are lost in the strange mists. After checking with the Imperial prognosticators to find a suitable conjunction, Anya has laid out an invitation to the next trial at The Regio of the Unquiet Hounds, in Bittershore, Ossium. The prognosticators confirm that a conjunction exists at nine o'clock on the second evening of the summit for this location.

Barien

• Revel will be visiting Anvil at 19:00 on Friday of the upcoming summit

At the Autumn Equinox the Challenge the Iron Duke ritual was cast a number of times. Barien's great organiser of challenges and celebrations, Revel has announced that he will need to meet with many of these people - some will receive their Challenge scrolls right away and others will need to converse with him so that an appropriate challenge can be designed. Revel intends to visit Anvil on Friday evening between 7 and 8.30 and has told the civil service that he intends to hire space from a family in the Brass Coast where he can talk comfortably with challengers. He will also be happy to see anyone further along in their challenges, if they wish to update the Lord of the Crossroads on their progress - but notes that this is not in any way required.

Tharim

• Tharim has recognised a new Keeper of Tharim's Throne

The Castle of Thorns in Astolat unexpectedly receive a visit from two heralds of Tharim, who rather grandiloquently informed them that the Bound King would soon have a new representative to the Empire. An agent of their lord and master will apparently be visiting Anvil at the upcoming summit to discuss the responsibilities and expectations of the role with the new Keeper.

The Keeper of Tharim's Throne is not an Imperial title, so it's not entirely clear why Tharim took such pains to let the Empire know he has appointed someone to the position. It has been mentioned twice before; once in response to the plenipoteniary during the Spring Equinox 381YE, the other as reward for tributes offered to the rulers of the wasteland. The civil service asked for more details, but reportedly were answered with cryptic half-sentences, knowing looks, and quite unnecessarily sinister chuckling.

Ylenrith

• Ylenrith has withdrawn from all communication with the mortal realm

Though Ylenrith has been under a Declaration of enmity since the Winter Solstice 381YE there have still been some rumblings from her home in the realm of Day over the past two years. Until now. Raelyn Clearwater, a reclusive vate who occasionally served as a mortal representative of the Eternal Flame, has reported to the civil service that following "unfortunate recent events" the Swan has chosen to enter a period of self cleansing.

It's not clear what relevance or impact this will have for the Empire - Ylenrith is not connected to any Imperial rituals. There is some speculation among the illuminates of Urizen, and among the scholars of the Unfettered Mind, as to whether this withdrawal could have anything to do with the recent transformation of Murit and Soghter into Azoth. Such metaphysical discussions are enjoyable, but rarely supported by anything other than tangled webs of speculation and conspiracy.

The civil service duly report the message, and suggest that the Archmage of Day may be in the best position to find out more about what this portends, if anything.

Lashonar

• Lashonar's game has been postponed

During the Autumn equinox, heralds of the chatterer visited Anvil recruiting participants for a game or contest the details of which were vague at best. The contest was due to take place at the Winter Solstice, but shortly before the beginning of the summit a gaggle of black-and-white feathered heralds appear the Hub where they cause mild chaos. It takes some time to get the details of exactly why they are there, but it appears that their mistress has unfortunately had to postpone the proposed contest until the Spring Equinox. There are half a dozen reasons suggested from "the weird mist" all the way through to "ominous premonitions" and honestly the civil service fail to make head nor tail of it. The fact though is that the contest (competition? demonstration? theatrical event?) is still going ahead but not until Spring.

The Representative of Mazen

• One hundred slaves are delivered to a small border town in Semmerholm

There is a strange occurrence in Parel, a small town in Estmure, two weeks before the Autumn Equinox that may be linked to some kind of agreement between an Imperial citizen and the eternal Mazen. A small force of Druj unexpectedly emerged from the southern forests. They brought with them exactly one hundred human slaves, terrified and cold, who they released onto the path to the little town. The orcs lurked in the early snow out of bowshot of Parel's defenders until the first of the humans reached the gates, and then melted back into the forest.

The little group is composed of a mixed selection of freed slaves; two score Highborn who describe themselves as having been part of an ill-starred crusade into the Barrens several years ago; a dozen Urizen formerly of Zenith; a brace of Dawnish knights showing obvious signs of extensive torture; and the rest League citizens taken from the farms of Holberg over a decade ago. One of these last bears a message; they have been gathered and released on the order of the Het as a result of the actions of Danica Lidija van Temeschwar the Imperial "representative of Mazen" as promised.

Most of the traumatised former slaves are now recuperating at the House of the Proffered Hand. Once they are well enough, they will be free to return to their own nations or remain in Caer Faucon to help with the operation of the House.

Challenge for the College

• The Archmage of Summer has announced a new challenge for the patronage of the Icy Crag of the Eternal Sun
• With the challenge issued, the college of magic has no special patron.
• The tourney is expected to take place during the Summer Solstice 384YE

The Iron Duke has offered his assistance in the smooth running of the tournament; who better to account for the volatile demands and nature of the rulers of the Summer realm than one of their own? As such his trusted herald Revel visited Anvil last season to gather information from Imperials on some of the intended rules for use during the tourney.

Any eternal who wishes to offer patronage to the college must find three Imperial magicians willing to fight on their behalf using only mage armour and implements. As such there is expected to be a number of eternals interested in recruiting a team during the Spring Equinox 384YE.

Zakalwe

• Heralds of Zakalwe will be visiting Anvil at 15:00 on Saturday of the upcoming summit

Three heralds of the General of Day, Agon, Armiger, and the Opening Gambit, are looking to discuss the matter of the Tourney with those put forward by the generals of Navarr, Urizen, and the League. Zakalwe has sent a missive to the Archmage of Day Skywise Gralka to facilitate the meeting.

Embassies

• The civil service are liaising with the heralds of the Summer Realm about the matter of eternal embassies

During the Autumn Equinox, Brother Luke raised a Declaration of Concord in the Imperial Conclave accepting a request from Eleonaris regarding the construction of embassies for eternals. The civil service have been liaising with heralds of Eleonaris - these so-called embassies are very different to those created to serve foreign nations - to see if something can be worked out. They hope to have at least a skeletal proposal during the Spring Equinox.

Further reading

• Cloud waves break - A wind of magic talking about the memory-altering mist settled across the Empire
• Impossible landscapes - Regarding the Winter Solstice plenipotentiaries called by the Archmages
• Stone and stone - A number of offers made by the eternal Adamant to the Master of the Koboldi
• A horn resounding - Discussion of the Summer Children, including boons offered by many eternals
• Faded from the winter - details peculiar magical dreams experienced by those of briar lineage