Sound the bells

“Wisdom is not always knowing the answer; Wisdom is finding the right question”, Marcus intoned.

Alecto rolled his eyes as his brother lectured him on the virtues. He hadn't seen his sibling since they'd arrived in this strange land and gone their separate ways agreeing to to meet at season's end. Now here they were as the equinox approached and true to form they were arguing. It has always been the same growing up together... It was like they'd never left Urizen.

"And what of our Pride?” he rebutted. “We should embrace our past, not be ashamed of it.”

Marcus shook his head. “This is not a matter of Pride or of shame. It is a matter of poise. We cannot will the Marches to action. We have no control over what they do. The only thing we can control is ourselves. If we wish to end this conflict, then the choice to act is our only choice. We must be the blade that cuts. Properly wielded, one strike can change the world.”

“I can't believe you are taking their side in this, of all matters.”

The older scholar smiled ruefully. “I'm not taking their side, I'm taking ours. The Marchers might be simple folk who love nothing more than a day of toil in the fields. But they are wealthy... and they have four armies.”

“And having money and armies makes them right does it?” Alecto looked scornful, but he could already see where his brother was going with this.

“Notions of fairness have no place on the battlefield! We are sword scholars - nothing is more virtuous than success. Last time the Druj invaded, the Empire left us to twist in the wind. Only the Highborn came to our aid. When the Druj return we will regret making the Marchers our enemies. Much better to reforge the blade now... while the coals are still hot.”

“Well I pity you trying to convince anyone back home to go along with your crazy plan.” Alecto shook his head dismissively, but he knew it was a mistake as soon as he saw his brother's smile. “No!” he interrupted, loud enough for others in the tavern to turn and look at the pair. “Don't say it...” he warned.

“Pity is an illusion”, his brother mouthed, “profiting neither the self nor others.”

Curses create turmoil; politics lead to curses.

Overview

As Winter turns to Spring, the Empire is plagued by bad weather. There are storms across the north of the Bay of Catazar, far more than normal for this time of year. Some blame the Empress of Sharks for these tempests, but the wise know that the cause lies closer to home. Curses hang heavy on the territories that reach the coast, an attempt to drown the arrogant Grendel and teach them that they cannot sail the Bay with impunity, but Spring magic strikes with impunity so they are far from the only ones to suffer.

If that were all, it might be bad enough, but the malevolent magic does not stop at the shore. The territories of Urizen are wracked with storms that pummel the mountains day and night. There are thick drifts of snow that soon block the passes in Morrow. Hail the size of pomegranates is hurled like daggers against the spires of Zenith. Lightning strikes the tallest peaks, and the tallest towers in Redoubt while the constant drum-roll of thunder chases all hope of tranquility from the land.

Magic is the source of this foul weather, but politics is the cause. The febrile conflict between Urizen and the Marches started this curse war - can anything be done to halt its course before the effects spread further and more Marchers are declared sorcerors?

Supply and Demand

Ministry of the Grandmaster
18 Crowns	16 mana crystals
42 Crowns	30 mana crystals
72 Crowns	42 mana crystals
108 Crowns	54 mana crystals
150 Crowns	72 mana crystals

Quartermaster General
8 Crowns	8 mana crystals
20 Crowns	16 mana crystals
36 Crowns	25 mana crystals

Mana Exchange Stewards
9 Crowns	8 mana crystals
21 Crowns	16 mana crystals
42 Crowns	25 mana crystals
58 Crowns	33 mana crystals

• All territories of Urizen have suffered under the powerful Winter curse; Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence
• All mana sites in Morrow, Redoubt, and Zenith have produced half as many mana crystals this season
• The grandmasters' ministries will see an increase in costs after the Spring Equinox
• Ministries reliant on crystal mana from Urizen have been negatively impacted

The curses that plagued Urizen last season have returned with a vengeance. This time the territory of Zenith has joined Morrow and Redoubt to suffer under the baleful power of Winter's ferocity. The bad weather is perhaps the least of it, the ill-temper and aggravation the curse brings test the poise of even the most composed Urizeni. Knowing that such feelings come from an external influence, rather than from within, doesn't make it any easier to channel the anger into something constructive.

The curse strikes directly at Urizen's most precious harvest - there are more mana crystals gathered in Urizen than anywhere else in the Empire. As a result the magicians of Urizen are left scrabbling to conserve what few magical resources they can still gather. Sadly that bodes poorly for the wider Empire which relies on Urizen's magicians to provide much of the mana that flows to the various markets around the Empire. After two seasons, a shortage of mana in Urizen is starting to become a shortage of mana in the Empire.

The result is that Imperial titles that rely on those markets are beginning to suffer. Most notably the grandmasters of the Conclave, along with the Quartermaster General and the stewards of the mana exchanges in Sarvos and Tassato.

If the curses break at the Spring Equinox, then the costs for these ministries will return to normal levels from Summer onwards, but if Icy Maw is extended then prices will continue to rise and the problem will likely spread.

Participation : Urizen

Any Urizen magician whose personal resource is in Morrow, Redoubt, or Zenith and who has spent time there this season, may be evidencing the lingering effects of the curse. They experience a roleplaying effect: "you feel increasingly uncomfortable, becoming short-tempered, irritable, and even aggressive.”

These roleplaying effects will ebb and surge over time - rather than maintaining the same intensity throughout. These effects are most potent during times of high stress and drama, at other times the influence may come and go unpredictably or lie dormant. Players who are experiencing the effects of the curse should not feel obliged to spend every moment roleplaying its malevolent influence - it is better to to concentrate on allowing the effect to influence you at key moments that are dramatically appropriate.

Any magician who does not have a way to resist the lingering roleplaying effect may rely on their poise to gain a one-off benefit. By unleashing a burst of fury, one that has been carefully banked for several months, the magician may cast a single offensive spell that costs one mana without spending any personal mana. The roleplaying effect starts to fade once the burst of rage is unleashed.

Regardless, the lingering effects of the curse will have faded entirely by the end of the Spring Equinox... assuming the curses are not renewed this season.

Turn the Other Cheek

• The Marcher and Urizen Assembly have made some moves to urge deescalation the current conflict

Once you burn a bridge down, there ain't no point picking at the ashes. The river is long and winding; there are many other places fit to cross. We invite the Urizeni Scholars of the Sword, led by the House of the Wanderer, to bring their teachings to our nation. In return, we will send our friars of the Marches to Urizen. Where we have disagreed in magic, we will unite in faith. Two schools of Virtue, together in one cause; to share how our same religion manifests in the people of our different nations. Together, the friars of Urizen and the sword scholars of the Marches will build a bridge between our two peoples. Together, we will break new ground with Pride.

Jedediah Boon, Marcher Assembly, 385YE Winter Solstice, Vote: 162-40

In response to the invitation by Jedediah Boon of the Marches we encourage the national assembly to invite marcher priors to speak in Urizen and to send sword scholars to the Marches to facilitate exchange of views in virtue seeking de-escalation.

Cato Hypation, Urizen Assembly, 385YE Winter Solstice, Vote: Greater Majority 164-0

The current feud between Urizen and the Marches is now escalating to the point where it is beginning to harm the Empire. Jedediah Boon seems to have offered an olive branch, raising a judgement in the Asssembly inviting Urizeni sword scholars to bring their teachings to the Marches and offering to send friars to Urizen. The judgement did not get a greater majority, so it has not moved many minds in the Marches.

Fair words won't bury grudges.

Marcher Proverb

By contrast, Cato Hypation's reciprocal judgement calling for an exchange of views seeking deescalation did achieve a greater majority. Sadly, there are few if any friars to welcome to the peaks of Urizen, but there are several sword scholars travelling to the Marches, looking to spread their teachings and Cato's judgement does ring in their ears. They reach out to the friars of the Marches to see if there might be a way past the current impasse.

One of those sword scholars, Marcus of the Pale Sun, takes these responsibilities particularly seriously. Having settled near Overton in the Mournwold, he has spent much time in debate with the friars who watch over the ruins. In discussion with them, he develops a number of suggestions, all of which seem to favour the Marchers, to the obvious surprise of this hosts.

Marcus points out that the Marchers have suffered three times over at the hands of Imperial magicians in recent years. The deaths that came from casting Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths was merely the latest indignity. Their farms, the bedrock of the nation, had already been ravaged by magic performed by Wintermark - and hammered by storms summoned by Urizen magicians. Those farms are more than just the Pride of the Marches - they are also the breadbasket of the Empire. Marcus reminds his former country folk that it was the Marchers who saved the Citadel Guard by sending every scrap of spare food to support the army when Urizen was struggling to repel the Druj.

Thought and Action; separate they are meaningless folly

Sulemaine, Paragon of Blades

The sword scholar suggests that if Urizen actually wants to end this feud between them and the Marches then they should act to prove it. Quoting Sulemaine, he claims that "Any task can be performed perfectly. To doubt this is to fail before you have even begun." He insists that Urizen should start by acknowledging that the Marches have suffered at the hands of Urizen magicans in recent years. Instead of defending their actions and their Pride, they could show Wisdom and defuse the conflict with a generous gesture of reconciliation. Marcus has three possible suggestions for how that could be done, none of which are easy, but all of which could provide a way forwards.

• Enchant the Marcher Farms

Nothing will bring back the lives lost to Cold Sun, but Urizen could help the Marchers recoup some of the losses their farms have suffered due to Urizen and Wintermark magic. There are simple enchantments that can be cast in Spring, Summer, and Autumn all of which boost the production of farms. The landskeepers are adept at these rituals, but they might accept the aid of Urizeni magicians. The more magicians are involved, the more farms could be enchanted. Even if Urizen didn't cast the rituals, they could provide the mana to do so. Marcus doesn't fail to point out that Urizen has not been slow to demand a reckoning from the League for the loss of Spiral - do Wintermark and Urizen not owe the Marches a reckoning for the damage they have caused?

• Remove the hated curses from Imperial Lore

One of the reasons that some Marchers are so bitter about Imperial magic is the deep wounds that still linger in Mournwold. At the height of the war between the Empire and the Jotun - when the two sides were locked in battle for control of the territory, Imperial magicians unleashed curses that killed thousands of people on both sides. The young and the old died in great numbers as Rivers Run Red exacerbated by an additional Winter curse scythed through the population. Rivers Run Red is interdicted now, along with the similarly devastating Mountain Remembers Its Youth, but Marchers are no fools. They know damn well that what the Conclave interdicts one day, they could license again at any time. The Senate refused to take the final step and grant Conclave the ability to have these rituals destroyed - the so-called Declaration of Remorse - but they could reconsider. And Urizen could use it's political influence to try and move the issue. If they were successful, even if they were only successful if getting Naeve's Twisting Blight taken out of Imperial lore, it would demonstrate to the Marchers that Urizen was taking the lead in promoting the responsible use of magic.

• Develop a better farming ritual

Marcus has some unkind words for some of the rituals used by Imperial magicians to enhance the production of farms. While the current library of spells are capable of delivering impressive returns in Autumn, they are challenging to cast, requiring mastery of three different realms; the returns in Spring are poor, and the enchantment that sees a farm through the Winter is likewise underwhelming. Urizen could use their mastery of magic to try to develop a better ritual that the Marches could use to enchant their farms. And if Urizen really wanted to demonstrate a desire to deescalate the conflict they could use the Doyen of the Spires to codify the ritual and bear the costs to put it into Imperial lore. If Urizen used their mastery of magic to provide a permanent benefit to farms across the Empire - the Marchers would stand to gain more than any other nation.

Marcus understands why his fellow Urizeni feel so angry and bitter about the vitriol they received after casting Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths. It's easy to feel that years of performing rituals for the benefit of everyone in the the Empire were cast aside. And he knows full well that the Marchers were at the front of the mob baying for the blood of everyone involved. He understands how hard it might be to help the Marchers. But he argues that if Urizen genuinely wants to find a way to deescalate this conflict then it is down to them to discover the poise needed to find the pivotal node.

Hard work wins wars.

Marcher Proverb

Turn the Other Field

• Not everyone in the Marches is eager to forgive
• Marcher farm owners can use Tally of the Votes to agree to inflict a huge penalty on every farm in the Marches
• Doing so en masse would cripple the Empire's logistics, reducing the supply of every other Imperial nation by one

Not everyone in the Marches is settled on the idea that now is the time to forgive Urizen for their actions. Conclave has moved decisively against the Marches, forbidding several eminent landskeepers from using magic. It has not escaped the attention of anyone in the nation that Urizen brought Cold Sun to the Empire causing the deaths of hundreds - and a single magician was declared sorceror as a result. But when the Marchers cursed Urizen's mana sites, half a dozen members of two entire ritual groups were condemned. So much for the Conclave.

Those who have been declared sorceror may not be legally allowed to use their magic, but they are not short of friends in the Marches. Arthur Payne may have passed, but the others, Bella Flowerfields, Brother Harvest, Robyn Of Bassingham, Saura Penny, and Eli Scrump can't pay for a mug of cider or a plate of food in any tavern or inn in the Marches at the moment. They might be sorcerors in the eyes of the Conclave, but they're heroes in the eyes of many Marchers with the threshers especially publicly lauding their virtues to any who will listen.

The Conclave may not have damaged their standing in the Marches, but it has effectively prevented them from taking further action. If any of them are caught casting further curses, or any spells or rituals for that matter, then the magistrates will execute them for it. Those who are keen to see Urizen forced to pay for what they have done to the Marches are not happy at the prospect of paying for their revenge with Marcher blood. "When a dog barks, you don't bark back", says Fanny Moulder, Landskeeper of the Mutton Downs.

"The answer lies in the soil", as Marchers are fond of saying. These rituals happened because Urizen doesn't value the Marches. They happened because the Empire doesn't value Marcher farms. Very well then - perhaps it is past time the Marcher yeofolk demonstrated to the Empire just how important their farms are. Everyone is quick to acknowledge that Marcher farms are the breadbasket of the Empire... but they seem to have forgotten what that really means.

It would require a massive commitment by the yeofolk of the Marches to demonstrate their power. It would need land owners in every territory to leave their fields idle. To ensure that everyone was onboard, Fanny has asked the Imperial civil service to arrange for a Tally of the Votes at the coming summit. That will let landowners of the Marches take a vote on it, just like they do when they're giving someone a Bourse seat to tend. Of course there will always be a few hold-outs, but if the vote passes, enough folk will stick by it.

The costs would be terrible - if half the fields in the Marches are left to stand idle then every single Marcher farm would lose 98 rings of income in the coming season. The yeofolk would be voting to slit their own throats. But the outcome might be even more devastating for the Empire. The civil service buy every bushel of surplus grain the nation can provide to support the Empire's armies. If that surplus were suddenly cut off, especially now with surpluses so low, then the supply of every Imperial nation other than the Marches would be reduced by one for as long as the protest lasted. This would also prevent the Imperial breadbasket supporting the Brass Coast armies - or any other armies for that matter - but making this particular omelet requires sacrifices be made.

As the old Marcher proverb goes, "There's two ways to bury a hatchet..."

Devastating storms have struck Sarvos, Necropolis, Redoubt, and Spiral .

Storms Across the Bay

Affected Titles

Ambassador to Axos

Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy

Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves

Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic

• Storms rage across the Bay of Catazar affecting Necropolis, Redoubt, Sarvos, and Spiral
• Trade with foreign nations is suffering, Axos, Sarcophan, Sumaah, the Iron Confederacy lose the top rank from their ministry this season
• This penalty could be avoided if the ambassador chooses to inform their counterpart that there will be no storms this season coming

The destructive force of Spring magic rages across Necropolis, Redoubt, Sarvos, and Spiral, bringing gale-force winds that pound the coast with destructive waves and deadly storms. Dozens of small fishing boats founder and sink, all hands lost when the hapless vessels are ensnared by the treacherous sea. Buildings are damaged, and Sarvos is flooded for three days when the meager defences against the wrathful sea are overwhelmed by the angry waters. Fortunately, the citizens of the League have been warned by their National Assembly allowing them to take precautions to avoid the worst of it. This is fortunate, since Sarvos in particular is vulnerable to flooding and the district of Caricomare and the region of Ventosi suffer badly as a result. Of the settlements along the Bay, Apulian endures the storms with the last impact - as some of the orc inhabitants wrly point out this is by no means the first time the city has been buffeted by magical storms raised by Imperial magicians.

The storms cause damage to any navy stationed in the territory, but there is a price to be paid for this despite. Every fleet based in the affected territories has been damaged by the storms, their rigging torn, their masts splintered, their hulls damaged, hitting profits and endangering lives. Imperial captains are far from the only ones to suffer - trade vessels coming to the Empire from foreign lands must all risk the deadly storms. Some ships are lost and every captain coming to the Empire across the Bay must endure heightened risks and damaged profits.

Once it becomes clear that the Empire is responsible for the deadly weather, several foreign nations express concerns. They understand that the Empire is locked a vicious war with the Grendel and appreciate the need to use whatever magic is needed to defeat them, but point out that it is hardly fair to expect their captains to pay for that conflcit. As a result they are issuing warnings to all their fleets to avoid trade with Imperial ports in the coming season. A season without trade won't impact commerce along the Bay, but it will have an impact if the defacto embargo goes on for too long.

In the short term however, the reduction in trade means that any ambassador whose embassy oversees trade coming via the southern coast -that is Axos, Sarcophan Delves, Sumaah Republic and the Iron Confederacy - will lose access to the highest rank of their ministry for the coming season. Such an outcome can still be averted - if any ambassador writes to their counterpart this season to assure them that Imperial waters are safe for their fleets to enter than they will be fine. Of course if they do that and then that turns out not to be true, that will be a diplomatic disaster.

The Sarcophan also express unhappiness at the damage suffered by the Alivetti estates ceded to them as part of a treaty agreement in 383YE. Their representatives makes pointed comments about the failure to warn them that the Empire decided to inflict curses on estates belonging to the Vandersaar family, without issuing them with an equivalent warning. There is possible that careful words and a contrite apology by the Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves might be enough to smooth things over, but it is clear that what would they prefer is to be invited to present proposals to expand current trading operations, by opening up new markets in the Empire for rare narcotic herbs. It is down to the ambassador whether they wish to extend this invitation or prefer to decline the not-so-subtle request and instead offer a humble apology for the damage inflicted on their lands.

Flooding of Caricomare

The Bay of Catazar will receive a curse to prevent enemy fleet access that will cause significant flooding. I urge citizens of the League, particularly those in the affected cities of Sarvos and Spiral, to prevent damages to our great nation through preparation, awareness, and Vigilance.

Chessia Gordost von Temeschwar, 385YE Winter Solstice, Vote: Greater Majority (409-0)

Vandersaar Flood Defences

Commission Type: Special

Location: Caricomare, Sarovs

Cost: 12 white granite and 72 crowns, one season

Special: No commission slot required

Effect: Ensures that Sarvos will not suffer unduly from flooding in the future, if the territory is cursed with Foam and Spittle

• Work is underway to repair flood damage to district of Caricomare
• A significant investment in flood defences is needed, otherwise the region will become increasingly vulnerable to flooding

Caricomare, the southern most district of Sarvos, has flooded once again. The damage is significantly less severe than that of the tempest of 348YE and there have been surprisingly few reports of civilian casualties, thanks to the warning raised by Chessia Gordost von Temeschwar in the National Assembly of the League. The waters are expected to recede in the weeks following the Spring Equinox but work has already begun to reduce any lasting damage. The most Prosperous citizens of Caricomare have long been setting aside a small fund for dealing with just such a situation, indeed, one of the feared dooms of the city was the flooding and sinking of the city. The Sarvos Shipwrights Syndicate are funding the rest of the work, eager to get out onto the bay and continue their work.

Unfortunately, every time Caricomare floods, the situation becomes a little worse. The extent of the water damage grows, as portions of the flood defences are washed away, and foundations are weakened. With the warning provided to them by the League Assembly, the wealthy occupants of Sarvos have been able to keep Caricomare safe this season, but there is no guarantee of that, if there are more floods in the future.

Fortunately the Vandersaar family have a lot of experience with flooding. In fact it's notable that despite their complaints at the damage to their estates, their properties seem to be markedly less inundated than some other parts of the city. They are happy to offer their expertise to the Empire, providing architects to oversee the creation a set of lasting flood defences if the Empire has the wherewithal to pay for the work. It wouldn't be cheap - they calculate that a dozen wains of white granite and 72 crowns are needed to create a solid wall to keep the flood waters out. There are various explanations for those unusually high labour costs, but when the breakdown is examined in detail it soon becomes clear that approximately half the bill is going directly to the Vandersaar family.

The defences are pricey, but they would be effective. It would require a senate motion to approve the work, but no commission slot, since the Vandersaar family would oversee the work. It would be done within a season and would ensure that Caricomare and Sarvos were no longer at risk to flooding in the next decade, provided the defences were not damaged or destroyed. Of course that might not be necessary - these floods have only happened because the Empire inflicted magical storms on the territory. Provided that didn't happen again - ever - then the Empire would continue to get away with neglecting the sea defences for now. But if the Empire does plan to use the curses again in the near future, or fears their enemies might do so, it would be wise to address the risks, otherwise the damage would be significantly worse next time.

Sodden Plains

Mithril Woven Nets

Commission Type: Great Work

Location: Ventosi, Redoubt

Cost: 50 mithril and 150 crowns

Special: Creates the title of Woven Architect of Crystal if announced by Crystal Architect of the Spires or Arcane Architect

Effect: Increases investment of mana sites in Redoubt by one

Woven Architect of Crystal

Type: Urizen National

Appointment: Tally of the Votes

Powers: Receives support from Spire of the Wealdawn to purchase mana crystals and sunfruit from spires in Redoubt

Responsibilities: To represent the mercantile interests of the spires of Redoubt.

Wealth of the Wilds
17 crowns	14 mana crystals and 1 sunfruit
30 crowns	21 mana crystals and 2 sunfruits
46 crowns	27 mana crystals and 3 sunfruits

• The high peaks of Redoubt have proteced the inhabitants from the worst of the storms
• The Spire of the Wealdawn have presented a design for a wide lattice of mithril worked into the cliffs of Ventosi

There is no warning for Urizen, but the saving grace is that its people tend to build their spires high in the mountains. Ventosi is only sparsely inhabited; the plains are left to wildlife and those who have abandoned the Empire. As a result the storms cause few casualties and there is little lasting damage on this occasion.

Even so, Claudius Nightstricken, a stargazer who lives and works in the Tower of Light and Shadow, has drawn up plans for a series of thinly woven mithril nets that could be installed in key points across the steep Ventosi cliffs. These nets would help to dissipate energy from any future storms, preventing the risk of damage if the curses are needed to attack the Grendel. They would also help to strengthen the flows of magic in the territory, encouraging mana crystals to coalesce in mana sites across Redoubt.

If the project has the support of either the nation or the magicians of the Empire - by being announced by the Crystal Architect of the Spires or the Arcane Architect respectively - then the nearby Spire of the Wealdawn will offer support to whoever is appointed to oversee the delicate mithril nets. The Spire of the Wealdawn will arrange for the title, Woven Architect of Crystal, to be able to purchase mana crystals from across the territory and will even sell them their rare sunfruit. If properly distilled a single sunfruit can be used to restore the personal mana of a group similarly to Tranquil Nostrum.

The projected costs to buy mana assume that the Empire is not suffering from mana shortages inflicted by Icy Maw or similar rituals. If prices for mana are still elevated across the Empire, then the Woven Architect would find the costs to operate their ministry increase by 20% or more.

Shores of the Necropolis (Conjunctions)

• Many Grendel fleets have had to pull back rather than attack ships and settlements on the Bay
• Three fleets have been driven ashore, leaving their crews stranded in Necropolis

Necropolis has weathered the storms more effectively than the neighbouring territories. Crown's Quay bore the brunt of the tempest-driven waves, but while there was flooding and a fair amount of superficial damage the chapters have worked hard to repair the worst of it. The offices of the Steel Fist are still open, although the Sarcophan captain responsible for delivering the bounty of ilium for the Imperial Orcs was quite biting in her comments about the danger of raising supernatural storms around a major trade hub. Funeral vessels delivering the bodies of dead heroes to Sanctuary are unable to reach the little village at the base of the cliffs leading to the Necropolis proper.

By all accounts the storms wrought by this invocation of Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea have caught a Grendel assault force unprepared. These fleets, believing they could operate with impunity in the Bay, have learnt a valuable lesson although it's doubtful they will thank Imperial magicians for it. The high waves and heavy winds claim the lives of dozens of Grendel sailors. Many larger Grendel vessels are forced to abandon attacks on Imperial fleets to focus on rescuing their kinsmen when their ships founder.

In particular three Grendel vessels, the Merry Mariner, the Swift Reprise, and the Flying Civet, were engaged in some kind of covert action in Necropolis. It seems they were attempting to effect a hidden landing, either to raid Crown's Quay or Sanctuary, or to attempt to re-establush a spy network here. All three ships were driven ashore by the storms and are no longer seaworthy. Their crews are stranded along the coast of Necropolis, unable to put back to sea or escape. These bands of Grendel are effectively stuck in the territory, until they are rescued or they can steal the resources needed to repair their ships. The opportunity exists for Imperial heroes to ensure they never see the Broken Shore again.

Breaking Storm (Necropolis)

• A force of Grendel have looted an heirloom from a chapter in Sanctuary Sands
• Time TBC
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Champion of Prosperity is responsible for reclaiming the heirloom

During the peace treaty with the Grendel at least one of the navies spent a number of seasons off the coast of Necropolis. The sailors were eventually welcomed into the hostelries and markets after encouragement by the Highborn National Assembly. A few of these Grendel are now back in the territory, and they have managed to steal an heirloom from the chapter of Elijah's Bastion. The heirloom is a simple dagger - any potency that it once held long evanesced - but which was used by their founder generations ago.

The chapter, wholly dedicated to Prosperity, have called on the Champion of Prosperity to reclaim the heirloom and to pass it to the Highborn egregore once back in Anvil. If they can do this then they will consider any other loot that the Champion and their allies able to claim from the Grendel as payment for the task. The Grendel apparently made off with considerable purse of coin from the chapter as well as the heirloom, so there should be a reward for the risks.

Given that this is a direct request to the Champion of Prosperity, the incumbent, Hugh Farrier, is responsible for reclaiming the heirloom and defeating the Grendel. Although the position of Champion of Prosperity is due to be elected at the upcoming summit it is still considered to be the responsibility of Hugh Farrier to reclaim the heirloom, even if he is not re-elected to the position.

Deceptions (Necropolis)

• A force of Grendel are infiltraing Longbeach
• Time TBC
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The Imperial Spymaster is responsible for ensuring the Grendel do not escape with any intelligence

A force of Grendel have managed to make it to shore after the terrible storm damaged their ship. The barbarians have been sighted moving towards one of the sites used by the espionage ring broken up by the actions of the Highborn Assembly and the Seventh Wave. The soldiers who uncovered this site, an old abandoned crypt, were unable to be certain that they had completely cleared it; it is entirely possible that there is some cache of information hidden nearby that the Grendel might recover.

For the Grendel to know about the spy ring, one or more of their number must be one of the Salt Lords espionage agents. Given that fact, the Civil Service have deemed it to be the responsibility of the Imperial Spymaster, Bernard Dugdale, to ensure that the Grendel are defeated and driven back. If they are able to reach the remains of the spy network they will be able to obtain up-to-date information on the territory's defences. If they are driven back or killed, then the Grendel will remain in the dark about any changes to Necropolis in recent times including the suggested expansion of Reumah's Rest.

Traps (Necropolis)

• A force of Grendel are riling up ghosts in Highrod
• Time TBC
• This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
• The High Exorcist is responsible for defeating the Grendel and putting the ghosts to rest

A number of stewards of the dead have reported that there is something happening in Highrod. At first the fear was that some foolish Highborn had made a deal with an eternal to provoke the ghosts in the area, but given the mandate enacted by the General Assembly at the Winter Solstice that is easily dismissed. Rather it transpires that a force of Grendel "company of merchant adventurers" known as the Bronze Rill are the cause of the disturbance. They have been trapped here when their ship, the Flying Civet, ran aground. Rather than sit out the storms they have decided to rile up the ghosts in the region to cause as much disruption as possible.

The unconquered spotted several ghosts in the area where the Grendel were camped and have requested that the High Exorcist take charge of the whole situation. Given that this represents a direct request to the High Exorcist it is the responsibility of the incumbent, Alessi of the Basilisks of the Labyrinth, to defeat the Grendel and put the ghosts to rest.