The matter will be done

People of Dawn. Earls, nobles, and beloved yeofolk. I hear that King Penni was called back from the dead this season gone. I trust he did not disappoint, as magnificent in life as he was in death. Oh, to be beside him as his sworn knight again! He knew Glory - a Glory that Dawn has lost.

I am grateful to those of you who have accepted me as an Earl of Dawn, and even more those who have sworn their House's banner to the cause I stand for. The cause of restoring to Dawn what centuries of Highborn prattling has sapped from you. Strength! Strength, as we enjoyed in the days of Penni the White. It can be ours again.

It is clear that many of the Earls of Dawn will not accept me as one of their number, as a peer. Then I shall do one better. I shall become that which they cannot deny. I issue a challenge in the name of the Sun for the crown of Dawn! I will be the King of the Groves; terrible and glorious, the monarch Dawn truly deserves. We will see who bends the knee to me then, when a crown sits atop my brow. We know, people of Dawn, the meaning of monarchy. We know the strength and the power and the glory of it.

I will meet the Varushkan pretender on the field of battle, or I will meet those of you who wish to remain crownless. Either way, the final contest begins soon. My loyal retainer has begun the preparations, and things are set in motion. To those I know who have set themselves against me, formed knightly orders and solemn vows to cut out the poison that they believe I represent to Dawn's noble heart, I say only this: beware my sting.

The manticore has issued a challenge for the crown of Dawn.

Overview

Slowly, and then all at once, the story begins to spread, from house to house to house, from the wild moors of Weirwater to the Plains of Teeth at the Mallum's door, from Astolat's pristine paths to the sacred walls of Arnet in Ulvenholm, where the Lion fought his greatest fight. The manticore of the Barrens - that strange and wicked creature that for more than a year now has sat in the Untrod Groves and claimed that, in defiance of law and tradition, it is a noble of Dawn. That rough beast is challenging for the Throne of Dawn.

Few people seriously think the creature can win. The Earls' Council at Anvil are bitterly opposed to the beast. The brave Ser Rhydian de Rondell, who in some tellings is perhaps the greatest living knight, has made it their quest to slay the fiend. And yet, as the Spring Equinox draws near, a letter is circulated amongst the houses of the Dawn from the House of the Groves. The rumours are true - the Manticore intends to claim the Seat of the Sun, the Rose Throne of Astolat. Worse, he will not be alone.

A procession begins, out of the Groves, a tour not unlike the one Penni the White took long ago. Out of the Barrens, through Semmerholm to Weirwater, and then south to the Crown of Thorns itself. At first just the Earl and the retinue of so-called "vassals", those who have lost their living spirits to his poison and who are now empty vessels for his will. But soon it is not just them. Good knights - normal knights - knights like in the stories - they kneel before him; some call him liege, some call him challenger, but both swear themselves to him. Their numbers are few - but that they number at all chills many hearts.

The same question is on the lips of every yeofolk who refuses to bend the knee... Who will take the field against this monster?

Those Who Fight For Monsters

Those who support the manticore - publicly, at least - are by and large not of the great houses who currently enjoy the Imperial stage at Anvil. Yet there are a handful of smaller houses who have dared to support him, or have offered succour to those who march beside him. Keenly observant troubadours know that in such matters, when identifying ne'er-do-wells of any stripe, one always counts in threes - and so it is here. The allies of the manticore are the romantics, the brutal, and the sinister.

The Romantics

The romantics are the majority of the Manticore's noble supporters. These are those who consider themselves Dawnish patriots, who want to see Dawn grow and prosper, and who believe in its traditions and customs above all things. They have declared for the manticore, simply because they want someone glorious to be their monarch, believing they are standing for Dawn's history, its nobility, for love and glory.

If the Seat of the Sun were occupied - if Emperor Vesna had seen fit to challenge for, and take that seat, as is their right - then many of this number would have eagerly marched beneath their banner. Indeed, many of the romantics seem to believe that by ensuring the manticore counts a full brace of supporters by his side, they may well encourage Emperor Vesna to challenge too. This is not necessary - it is perfectly possible for the nobility of Dawn to give their support to "none of the above", and much of the job of the Challenger in Waiting is ensuring that whoever stands, they are not unopposed.

Principle among the voices of the romantics is Earl Sebastian De Marigny, a troubadour of some wit and renown, who keeps estates in Estmure. Earl Sebastian is a student of history. He is in love with the idea of the Dawnish monarchs as they existed in the pre-imperial past, and sees the manticore as possessing, via his connection to Penni the White, some fragment of that lustre.

The Brutal

The brutal are those who, when asked to choose between Gryphon and Unicorn, choose the Gryphon, but then cursed the name of Archavion Wolfborne for not going further. They believe he did not act quickly enough, held too much mercy in his breast. They Brutal rankle at the presence of the Rahvin, the Karass and the Great Forest Orcs on Dawnish soil and bend the knee to a monarch who promises to right these wrongs. They dream of conquest - of a Dawn, that stretches east, until it meets the dawning sun.

They are those who see in the manticore a chance to reverse what four centuries of Imperial rule have stripped from Dawn - a naked power, a true wielding of will against those who are unworthy. They are the ones who say death to the Druj and mean every last orc who ever wore green and dipped their blade in bile.

Principal amongst the voices of the brutal is Earl Valerie de Courcillon, she whose knights errant of late have been harassing the Karass in the southern Barrens. She is said to have brought many members of her house and many knights-errant too. She has made it known that she intends to face Ser Rhydian de Rondell on the tourney-field personally - that is, unless she can convince him to join their number. She claims their heart feels much as hers does - but she respects that they have their vows. It seems that Ser Rhydian issued a challenge of their own - one she intends to meet.

The Sinister

There are always stories of houses like this. The kind of house that wears the white and blood-drip of lost House de Blanche, to signify to all that they are monsters, or harbourers of monsters. In a generation there are always a few who turn out to be in league with darker powers - Agramant or worse. Theirs is a tale as old as Dawn itself, for the rules of nobility make no rules on this. The Dawnish obsession is with triumph and renown; it does not demand a generous spirit.

Now, in the Manticore, they have a monster they can openly serve - and they make no attempt to disguise that they want to place him on the Rose Throne of Astolat and, if they get a chance, do as King Penni once did - and clear the houses. Nothing about what they have done yet is openly illegal - it is not illegal to plan to put a manticore on the Seat of the Sun. But make no mistake, these are the wicked and the cruel.

Principle amongst their voices is Ser Gawain Amboise, the leader of a weaver's cabal based out of the Garthsmoor, the "Friends of the Good Knight". The cabal has a dark reputation - more than once their name has been linked to the Devourer of the Fallen, and more besides. Ser Gawain is young, yet their eyes are said to belie a soul already aged by wickedness. It helps that they are also meant to be reasonably good-looking and a dab hand at the dance - such a figure is a troubadour's dream. Ser Gawain seems to enjoy living up to their reputation

Those Who Fight Monsters

Most people in Dawn think the idea of the manticore challenging for the throne is nothing short of madness. It likely helps that Unicorns outnumbered the Gryphons, publicly at least. Most Dawnish folk want no part of this cruel agenda. Oddly, though, this group are more than eager to see the challenge go ahead. Nobody thinks it is glorious if the manticore's claim is ruled out on legal technicalities. What they want is the nobles of Dawn to don their armour and destroy this monster. That is what glory looks like - that is what will rally the nation together and put the conflicts of recent times in the past. Since poetry demands that their numbers match the manticore's supporters, the troubadours have divided them into three. The enemies of the manticore are the romantics, the realists, and the ambitious.

The Romantics

The romantics are the majority of the Manticore's noble opponents. These are those who consider that the glorious ideal of Dawn is best expressed by doing things which are noble and glorious, deeds which inspire admiration in all who hear of them. Deeds that require Ambitions that can be voiced openly, not hidden in the dark. They consider themselves Dawnish patriots, who want to see Dawn grow and prosper, but who believe the traditions and customs must reflect the modern era. They despise the manticore, because it represents a part of Dawn that they wish simply did not exist. What is glorious about Penni the White is the manner in which the monster was overthrown. The thought of putting his heir-apparent back on the throne fills them with horror.

The Romantics don't care if Emperor Vesna puts their own claim to the crown, or if the Challenger in Waiting rallies Dawn to ensure that the seat remains unfilled. Dawn is glorious, with or without its monarch on the throne. What it needs is for the world to see the manticore torn to pieces on the sands of Anvil. It is not enough to repudiate this monster's claims - the entire purpose of Dawn is to destroy monsters like the manticore. Slaying the Earl of the Groves is exactly what every questing knight should be striving for. They want Dawn to ensure that the manticore's defeat is as glorious as possible.

The Realists

The realists are the sort of houses where the yeofolk tend to make a lot of the decisions that actually matter... It's not just a four hundred year old tradition that only the Throne can be the monarch of Dawn; it's also an incredibly important matter of legal principle. Dawn cannot have two heads of state... if the manticore claims the Rose Throne - if anyone except the Throne sits the Seat of the Sun - Dawn will have to leave the Empire.

That's not far from the outcome that the brutal Manticore would favour of course. To which the realists point out that Dawn currently fields four armies. Who exactly is going to pay the two hundred plus thrones a season to upkeep those armies when Dawn leaves the Empire? Are the wealthy citizens of Holberg going to be happy to carry on paying taxes to maintain the Castle of Thorns as they do now? The Dawnish have four armies - the Druj have nine, ten, eleven? How glorious do Dawn imagine the war against the Druj will be if they are the only ones fighting it? The realists don't give a fig for the glory of the contest; they want this ridiculous charade ended as quickly and decisively as possible, before anyone else gets the reckless idea to try and copy the monster.

The Ambitious

The ambitious are the houses who dream of Dawn having five armies, of conquering the Mallum and bringing it all under Dawnish rule. They look at the Fangs and dream of what could have been if the nation had had more sway in Imperial politics. The ambitious are delighted that the manticore has challenged for the crown, not because they want the monster to win; they share the view of the realists that that would be an unmitigated disaster. However, they desperately hope that the manticore will draw Emperor Vesna to take her rightful place on the tourney ground.

Thus far, the young Throne is popular in Dawn. A martial monarch pushing back the Empire's enemies, delivering stirring speeches from the Throne. They may be forged from the hardest Varushkan steel, but they have been quenched in Dawnish glory. It is not simply that the Throne is well-liked that appeals; however, the ambitious see advantages for Dawn in Vesna claiming the crown because they imagine that tying the Varushkan Throne to the nation can only help it prosper in the cut-throat world of Imperial politics. The work done by Empress Lisabetta during her reign set up Holberg to become the greatest city in the world; why shouldn't Dawn benefit by having their monarch on the Throne? The ambitious are hoping that the Challenger in Waiting steps aside to let Emperor Vesna defeat the monster and rally all of Dawn behind her glorious banner.

The Tourney of the Hour

Black Knights

By Imperial law, only a Dawnish noble may take part in a Dawnish election decided by tourney. Anyone can win that title, but only nobles can take part in the election. If a yeofolk (or a non-Dawnish) were to take part, they would risk prosecution for subverting the agencies of state.

Of course, Dawn wouldn't be Dawn if things were that simple. There is a long tradition of Dawnish covering their heraldry with black cloth and their face with a helmet to take part in a tourney. The reasons are complex; they may be noble or yeofolk, but if they are suitably girded to conceal their identity, then everyone accepts that they are entitled to take part.

A black knight's identity should never be revealed. As the Dawnish Assembly has made clear, anyone who deliberately reveals the identity of a black knight is undermining the glory of Dawn and invites the disdain of their fellow Dawnish.

• Alyss Retainer has secured the Anvil arena for the purpose of hosting the battle between the Earl of the Groves and his supporters, and whoever opposes his claim to the throne of Dawn
• Participants may fight for the manticore, Emperor Vesna, or for the throne to remain empty
• The format will be a grand melee between each of the sides, the same format used for a grand tourney
• Only nobles may participate in the tourney, as is usual custom
• The Challenger in Waiting has responsibility for encouraging nobles to stand for or against the challengers on the tourney field
• Many followers and opponents of the Manticore simply want a glorious fight - matching the challenger's numbers
• The more practical option of defeating the monster with an overwhelming force will bring victory but not inspiration

Not too long after the conclusion of the Winter Solstice, the Hub in the empty Anvil field is visited by a yeofolk in dagged yellow wool. Alyss Retainer, looking more stressed than usual, if such a thing were possible, has a simple request: use of the Tourney Ground of Camock, the Anvil Arena, on behalf of her earl in order to challenge for the throne of Dawn.

A challenge for the throne of Dawn sets in motion several necessary formalities. The first one is simple - who is going to stand in opposition? Of course, any noble can take the field to stand against a claimant; and Emperor Vesna has laid down her gauntlet to make a claim for the crown. No other party can stand at this time, but nobles could take the field to stand against both the manticore and Emperor Vesna.

The manticore has no legal basis for their challenge whatsoever. The Dawnish are more than within their rights to refuse this challenge. But it is hard to see the troubadours singing songs about that in years to come. The expectation of most Dawnish citizens is that nobles will defeat the monster in glorious battle on the sands of the tourney ground, having taken the field against it.

The manticore and much of Dawn expect this matter to be settled in the Arena at 20:30 on the Saturday, via grand tourney. Only nobles may enter such a battle, as is custom, though any others are invited to witness. Those standing against the manticore, will need to assemble to face the beast, whether to support the Throne or to oppose them both; what people demand is that this is settled in the most glorious way possible.

The Earl Arrives

Curse

Anyone who is struck by the Manticore's tail is affected by the CURSE call and is affected by a roleplaying effect of burning pain in the area struck for ten seconds.

It is possible to overcome the roleplaying effect in the normal manner, such as by expending a hero point or drawing on a source of spiritual strength.

If you are hit by CURSE, then see a ref for further details once the tourney is complete.

• The Earl of the Groves will arrive at 20:30 on the Saturday and head to the arena
• The Earl of the Groves will fight personally, alongside a small number of his "vassals" and his supporters
• They will be accompanied by around fifty Dawnish nobles of various houses, including the Earl Valerie Courcillon and her knights
• Their entourage will include yeofolk and attendants, but they cannot fight
• The Manticore's tail is a weapon; anyone struck by it is affected by CURSE and suffers incredible burning pain for ten seconds
• By Imperial law, only the manticore and its vassals (his puppeted creatures) can be legally slain

The procession of the Earl and his followers will end at the new arena at the heart of Anvil, at 20:30 on the Saturday. The band the Earl marches with is small but potent; around fifty warriors at most, of various houses and knightly orders who have thrown in their lot with him in this endeavour. Most notably, a host of knights in the purple colours of House Courcillon make the march, led by their Earl, Valerie Courcillon. A few yeofolk tag along also, to heal the inevitable wounds a tourney as great as this will bring, and to spread the story of what happens back to the four corners of Dawn once it's over.

Of course, the Earl has a few tricks of his own up his proverbial sleeve. While he is a master of the magical arts, the efforts of Imperial heroes have stripped him of three of his four favours, ripping away some of the support of the eternals he has enjoyed in the past. He still retains a fraction of the power he once had, however, and he has extended this power to his so-called "vassals", the puppeted bodies who are extensions of his will that accompany him to the Arena. Finally, though no Imperial in living memory has had to face it yet, there is the question of his sting. Those who have seen it in action relay that the scorpion tail can punch through metal armour, and those hit by it suffer terrible pain, and worse if left untreated.

Rumours abound that some Imperial heroes have found a way to protect themselves, but this information would need to be sought out in Anvil.

The magistrates are keen to point out that participating in this battle on the side of the manticore is not illegal by itself unless they do anything untoward in Anvil. The manticore and its vassals are outside Imperial law, which considers the creature to be a monster, so it is fine to kill it. The manticore's supporters, however, are protected by Imperial law and must not be harmed beyond any wounds suffered in the tourney.

The Challenger Waits

The Challenger in Waiting has a responsibility to measure the Virtue of the Throne, should they challenge for Monarch of Dawn, and to spread word of what they find. They are responsible for encouraging nobles to stand for or against the Throne on the tourney field.

Responsibilities of the Challenger in Waiting

• People expect the Challenger in Waiting to ensure there are at least two sides, roughly equal in number, so that there can be a glorious battle for the Crown of Dawn

The Challenger in Waiting is a curious title, spectacularly Dawnish in nature. The position has a legal responsibility to measure the Virtue of the Throne, should they challenge for Monarch of Dawn. In practice, the common view is that it is the responsibility of the Challenger in Waiting to ensure that whatever else happens, there is a glorious spectacle. According to the histories, when the grand tourney was organised for the Empress Richilde to challenge for the crown, not a single knight could be found to oppose her, so beloved was she by the people of Dawn. A glorious monarch deserves a glorious tourney - people expect the Challenger to do whatever is necessary to make that happen.

At this point, there are a number of distinct possibilities. Ser Decimus could encourage nobles to allow the nobles who support Throne to take the field against the manticore. Such a tourney is bound to glorify everyone who takes part. If vastly more nobles wish to support the Throne than the manticore, the knight-errant might even find himself being expected to drum up black knights (a role sometimes filled by yeofolk in clear violation of the rules) to fight for the manticore. Everyone may want a share of the glory, but there won't be enough to round if someone doesn't ensure the beast can give the Throne a good showing, so that this battle can echo through the ages.

The alternative is to find enough nobles to oppose all challengers. Normally that would be required since nobody in Dawn wants to see anyone claim the crown without a glorious tourney to make the occasion. But the manticore can easily play the role of the villain.

Emperor Vesna has staked her own claim.

The sweet irony is that Ser Decimus himself cannot fight in the tourney. As far as the Knight of Roses is aware, he has not yet passed a test of mettle and so must only watch from the sidelines.

The Throne Commands

• Emperor Vesna has issued a proclamation in response to the manticore's challenge

The crown of Dawn is the legal monarch of the nation. Ever since the nation joined the Empire, that has always been understood to mean that only the Throne can claim the crown, just as the First Empress did when the Empire was founded. The crown can remain empty, but if anyone else claims it, it would create a constitutional crisis because the nation would have two lieges.

Dawnish citizens are eager to see Emperor Vesna respond to this challenge. They were chosen by the Senate to be the "thunder that strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies". It is hard to imagine that a throne that swore to be ready with blade, bow and shield would turn aside from this glorious challenge.

And so it proves. Barely days before the summit is to begin, word of the Throne's response jumps like lightning between the lips of every troubadour in Dawn.

A wolf struts the streets of Dawn unchecked.

A monster calls itself an Earl and now a King and dares to call me a pretender?

You are a sovereign perhaps, but no Monarch.

I am the Empress of the Hearth, Crowned in Thunder.

I stood in the Barrens with the Hounds of Glory. I ventured through the Sentinel Gate to win the Barrens for Dawn. I have raised an army for Dawn and put steel in their hands.

I was there with Ser Rhydian DeRondell, in the Badlands of the Summer realm. They overcame the Bandit King and won your favour.

I heard the troubadours and stzena sing of Lord Clint Leohart, who stood against a hundred heralds of the Skittering Dark, and won your favour.

I heard of the Virtuous bandits who stole into the City of Locks and claimed your favour and now flaunt it brazenly, in true Dawnish spirit.

The bards sang to me of Lady Aletheia of the Twisted Rose, who gave her heart’s own love to thwart you, standing bloodied but unbowed.

My citizens have bested you already.

I have a Varushkan heart. But as their Empress, as their sister in Virtue, my heart beats for the people of Dawn. They are mine and I am theirs, as the moon belongs to the night sky. You seek to force Dawn away from its siblings, but you do not understand. We are strong because we are inextricable.

It is not in spite of this Varushkan heart but because of it that I rise to meet you. I am a Warden. I have sworn an oath to fight back any monster that threatens the hearth of this Empire and you are no different.

You should never have taken my reticence for apathy. For as long as I live I will never let a nation of this Empire suffer from my inaction.

And so it is settled. I will meet you in the field. You will bend the knee as you did before and the matter will be done.

To any noble glorious enough to take the torch of history in their hand, stand with me. You Virtuous few, my knights and witches, will win such glory that Dawnish across time and space will hold their heraldry cheap and think themselves accursed that they were not here.

I plant my banner on the field at Anvil. I challenge for the Rose Throne.

We are utterly united. We are inextricable.

The manticore prowls. The Throne commands. Dawn decides.

Victory and Defeat

• If Dawnish nobles win a glorious victory against the manticore on the tourney grounds it will rally the Virtue of the Dawnish people to the cause
• If Dawn stomps the manticore with overwhelming numbers, the realists and the ambitious will nod approvingly and go back to their scheming
• If Emperor Vesna wins, they will become monarch of Dawn, and if the victory is glorious they could use their Imperial address to stoke the Pride of the nation
• If the manticore wins, all eyes will fall on the Dawnish Assembly

The expectation of many of the manticore's opponents - be they simply against the manticore or supporters of Empress Vesna - is that the heroes of Dawn will gird for battle, face the manticore with equal numbers and win the most glorious battle in living memory. An opportunity to decide the throne of Dawn in a battle against an actual honest-to-goodness monster will outshine the tales of Empress Richilde. If that happens, troubadours will carry news of the glorious triumph to every corner of the land.

Such a victory will remind every Dawnish citizen, noble and yeofolk alike, that glory is the heart of Dawn - there will inevitably be an opportunity to take advantage of that rush of Pride in the months that follow. If the Throne wins, they could use the Imperial address to guide that opportunity; if the nobles who oppose both the Throne and the manticore win, then the Dawnish Assembly could use a statement of principle to give shape and form to the nation's desires.

The unspoken hope of the realists is that the Dawnish nobles ensure that there is absolutely no possibility whatsoever of this farce going any further than it already has. They want Emperor Vesna to have enough nobles behind them that the outcome is never in doubt for even a moment. There is a time for glory, they say, and it's not when the fate of the entire nation hangs in the balance. If that happens, the realists and the ambitious will not approve and go back to their business. The matter will be over, but there will be no opportunity to benefit from a surge of national Pride.

If the forces of the manticore are victorious, they will not immediately become the monarch of Dawn. Instead, all eyes will turn to the National Assembly. The manticore's claim to be Dawnish has been roundly rejected, but victory on the tourney field could change that. If the greater majority of the National Assembly commands Dawn to bow to their new monarch then the nation will have a chance to follow them. It will provoke an unimaginable constitutional crisis that threatens Dawn's place in the Empire, but the words of the troubadours will ultimately sway the hearts and minds of the Dawnish people if backed by a mandate of the Assembly.

If the manticore wins but its claim to the throne is rejected, then the creature will effectively become a pretender to the throne. Some Dawnish houses will rally to the beast's side - it did win the tourney after-all - but the majority will recognise that a monster can never be the monarch of Dawn. If the creature is allowed to leave Anvil victorious, but is rejected by the Assembly it will rally those houses that are now loyal to its claim, form a large army and try to take Dawn by force.

Volunteer Opportunity

• There is an opportunity for players to volunteer to play one of the Manticore's yeofolk followers
• These supporters will be mostly cheering on their side, healing and reacting on the edges of the battles
• These supporters will not be planning to be involved in the combat and should not bring weapons or armour
• It is not possible to volunteer for this opportunity if your character is Dawnish
• You will need to provide your own kit appropriate for Dawnish yeofolk, in any colour
• This is a Combat Unlikely role and should not involve combat, but we cannot fully guarantee that you would not be hit depending on player action
• Volunteers will need to email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk with the subject line "E2 2026 Volunteer for Manticore Encounter" by 18:00 on Tuesday the 9th

We anticipate there might well be significant popular opposition to the manticore's challenge to Dawn. The manticore will field every knight in Dawn that he can to fight for his cause, but it would be great to have more yeofolk cheering for the beast from the sidelines. If you want to help us bolster the ranks of lowly yeofolk cheering for the monster, then please email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk with your PID before 18:00 on Tuesday the 9th to volunteer. You'll need some soft kit that is passably Dawnish and to have read the introduction page about Dawn before you turn up, but you won't need any weapons or armour.

OOC Note

• Please bear in mind that Emperor Vesna is a player character, and not a member of our NPC crew

We are very grateful to the player of Emperor Vesna for their fantastic contribution to this wind of fortune. We have edited their in-character response to the manticore's challenge into this wind.

It is important to remember that the Throne is always a player character; they are not a member of our NPC crew.