Things that burn

Forges

Earlier in the year, the first bouncing pebbles that presaged the coming avalanche were seen. A handful of unfamiliar heralds attacking disparate targets in far-flung parts of the Empire. Then, the casting of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths opened the floodgates. Hundreds of scions of the new eternal known as the Cold Sun launched vicious, destructive assaults in every nation of the Empire. Thanks mostly to some timely warnings from the Dawnish and Navarr assemblies, and the priests ofVigilance, there was much less loss of life than there might have been. Some nations weathered them better than others. The people of Dawn in particular were almost untouched - not a single life lost - in part thanks to an enchantment empowering the eternals of Summer to fight alongside the knights and the war-witches. By contrast several irreplaceable symbols of Imperial art and culture were destroyed before the scions could be driven back.

As the magic of the Imperial enchantment began to wane, many breathed a sight of relief. The Empire had been tested, but had endured. Unfortunately it soon became clear that relief was premature. shortly before the Autumn Equinox tens of thousands of scions emerged from regio across the Empire. Disciplined, united in the zealous pursuit of Oblivion, driven to end all life, to stamp out all beauty, they began to spread out destroying everything in their paths.

During the Equinox Imperial heroes had half a dozen opportunities to intervene via the Sentinel Gate, to help deal with some of the attacking scions. Some were able to prevail; the scions moving to unleash the devastating destructive power of the hot springs of Peregro were intercepted, the vale of Veresk in Karsk was defended; the Halls of Worth in Skarsind were preserved; the Augurs of the Opalescent Gloaming were saved. Others, unfortunately, were ultimately unsuccessful. The scions captured a potent regio in Bregasland, seized the White Tower in Bastion, and ravaged the Hercynian trods, cutting the vallorn in Deer's Folly off from the network of magical paths.

They also raided the Cerevado Nets, the slaughtered the workers at the Eternal Shafts of Time, and worst of all did irreperable damage to the Brilliant Star - and in each case claimed large amounts of ilium and mithril. These attacks stand out, even among the general destruction inflicted by the scions. None of the three sites are particularly associated with art or culture, or with human or orc lives. Some strategists are deeply concerned about why the scions were so keen to claim these valuable materials - and what they plan to do with them.

Following the Autumn Equinox the armies of Cold Sun begin in earnest to attempt to destroy the Empire; but the Empire will not go down easily.