383YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

The fires are banked but every night breaks at dawn.

Overview

Over the past three months, several events have occurred which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. You can also read about the progress of the Empire's military campaigns here.

In each case, we've tried to tag the Winds of Fortune entry with the nations, or political bodies, to which it is most relevant. We've done this to help people who are interested only in events that are especially relevant to them. In no way are these tags intended to be exhaustive; the Empire is a complex place and very little happens in isolation.

As always, how much or how little of this information you choose to know in character is up to you. Part of the purpose of Winds of Fortune is to maintain the illusion of the Empire as a living, breathing place where things happen - and to make players aware of things their characters 'should' know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months.

Many winds of fortune open with a short section of in-character text. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip. They're mostly just a bit of fun and they tend not to contain anything vital to the understanding of the wind of Fortune.

Winds of Fortune

Some Heavenly Music

• Urizen

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

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

Cloud Waves Break

• Everyone; Ritual magicians versed in Autumn and Night Lore

Beneath a subtle conjunction of the Wanderer, the Lock, and the Door, a peculiar mist creeps out across the Empire. Those who encounter it find their memories confused, or corroded, or subtly altered. Not key memories - nobody has forgotten who they are, or where they come from, or who they love - but day to day memories of smaller import. Solutions are sought, and possible counters suggested, to help those whose memories have been muted, and to ward off further forgetfulness. As the mysterious fog casts a pall over the Empire's collective memory, the conjunction also reflects unexpected (hopefully temporary) alterations to familiar rituals - especially those relating to memory.

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

A Horn Resounding

• Young citizens; parents; Gatekeepers

Since the start of Winter, young people across the Empire have undergone uncanny growth spurts. In each case they experience a burst of energy and growth for a month or so, at the end of which they have visibly aged by between one and three years! The change seems to have been brought on by a combination of a magical horn and a possibly ill advised Summer ritual design to call forth heroes.

Whatever the cause, some see this unwarranted event as an opportunity. One Highborn chapter, eager to prove an esoteric theory about reborn heroes, offers a dose of True Liao to the most virtuous of these "Summer Children", with the intention they use it to receive a vision of their no-doubt significant past life.

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

You can learn about the peculiar growth spurt, the Highborn offer, and the opportunities provided by the eternals, here.

Other Events

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

Mandates

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

Some mandates were upheld by their respective assemblies but failed due to the intervention of the Wisdom assembly and the sword scholars. Judgement 7 (encourage Imperial citizens to find opportunities for cooperation with the eternals), Judgement 17 (encourage citizens to travel to Zenith and offer aid there), and Judgement 53 (encourage Marcher pilgrims to make a pilgrimage to Holberg) were all ineffective as a consequence.

Imperial Lore

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

Urizen Lore

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

Other Media

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