386YE Summer Solstice winds of fortune

News spreads through word of mouth as fast as it does through broadsheets and posters, and is sometimes more reliable. Or at least, unreliable in more amusing ways...

Overview

Over the past three months, events have taken place which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. These are the winds of fortune, counterparts to the Winds of War which detail the Empire's military campaigns. They lay out situations, and usually include things that characters can do to take advantage of opportunities or to resolve problems. In almost every case, they start with a piece of flavour text. This fiction helps introduce the wind of fortune, or draws out a particular theme or element. Often, it represents a viewpoint that one or more NPCs might have in-character. 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 if they want to use it in character.

The body of the wind of fortune describes situations and lays out ways players can engage with them. Except where we explicitly talk about something being "rumoured" or use a phrase like "some might say..." the details of a wind of fortune are factual. They represent briefing material presented by the civil service or similar authoritative sources and represents something the average educated citizen would acknowledge as a reliable truth. Unless we specify otherwise, we're also being as thorough as possible. This information doesn't need further checking in-character. It's not opinion, and we're not trying to trick you.

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 could know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months. It's perfectly acceptable to turn up to Empire having read only a few Winds of Fortune that directly interest your character; part of the fun on the field can come from learning about situations and opportunities in other parts of the game.

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.

Winds of Fortune

Inextricable, indefatigable, and inevitable

• All Imperial citizens

The Throne, Emperor Vesna, has used her power to address the Empire to present a personal message to all Imperial citizens. The message has been distributed across the Empire by the civil service, and you can read it in the Inextricable, indefatigable, and inevitable wind of fortune.

For the Common Good

• Ambassador to the Commonwealth; Imperial Senate; military captains and warbands; Gatekeeprs; citizens interested in relations with the Commonwealth

Among the six great powers of the known world, the Commonwealth are perhaps the closest allies the Empire has. Their militant society, committed to the idea of ensuring the greatest good to the greatest number of people, does not see eye-to-eye with the Empire on all matters but they clearly respect them. The Empire shared their mastery of magic with the magicians of the Commonwealth, and Commonwealth soldiers fought and died alongside the Freeborn in the fall of Siroc against the Grendel. Both nations know they must eventually come to blows – Empire and Commonwealth alike are dedicated to extending their influence over the whole world – but for now they can be friendly, at least.

You can learn about diplomatic relations and political complications relating to the Commonwealth, as well as several opportunities, in the For the Common Good wind of fortune.

Thrones and Principalities

• Ambassador to Jarm; Imperial Senate; Imperial Conclave; Champion of Wisdom; Guildmaster of the Artisans and the Artisans Guild

Among the great powers, the Principalities of Jarm are no friends to the Empire. The magocracy, ruled by the House of Princes, has repeatedly denounced Imperial citizens for interfere with its interests. The Empire is also allied with their great rivals, the Commonwealth, and open war has recently erupted between the two great nations. While they are not at war with the Empire, communication in recent years has tended to be brusque and unfriendly.

You can learn about the state of diplomatic relations with the Principalities, as well as some opportunities for trade and commerce, in the Thrones and principalities wind of fortune.

Towers and Crows

• Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves; Imperial Senate; Weirwood seats; Regarrio Dossier

Among the six great powers, the Bedelaar Huisbaas merchant-princes of the Sarcophan Delves seek to maintain a level of neutrality. They trade enthusiastically with the Empire, and welcome Imperial merchants in their turn. While they have outlawed slavery, and the trade in slaves, they refuse to pick a side between the nations that make up the Liberty Pact and the so-called "Freedom Accord". More than anything else, they want to ensure that their trade vessels have free access to the wealth of the world, all the better to funnel as much of it as possible into their own pockets.

You can learn about the state of diplomatic relations with the Delves, as well as a couple of opportunities to trade with them, in the Towers and crows.

Guide the Spirit

• Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic; Imperial Synod; Imperial Conclave

Among the six great powers, the Sumaah Republic are simultaneously rivals to, and uneasy allies of, the Empire. Their shared practice of the Way both unites them through virtue, and divides them through disagreements about how the faith should be practiced and spread. Allies in the Liberty Pact, the priests of the two nations have recently agreed to an amicable split - each Synod going their own way but united by a shared commitment to spreading the Way as far and wide as possible. They just don't agree on what the best way to actually do that is, and while things are stable at the moment there's no guarantee they'll stay that way.

You can read about relations between the Republic and the Casinean Empire, as well as some opportunities to offer aid to the Sumaah, in the Guide the spirit wind of fortune.

The Price of Peace

• Ambassadors to Otkodov, the Grendel, the Iron Confederacy; Imperial Consul; Imperial Senate; Avisena i Kharizmi i Guerra

The Empire shares a continent with a number of adjacent powers, some stronger than others. Four powerful orc nations surround the Empire, the Jotun, Druj, Thule and Grendel. The nations of Skoura and Faraden are small, each only a few territories at most. The Iron Confederacy is much bigger however and claims to be the Empire's equal in size and prominence. It may even be true. The Empire maintains careful diplomatic relations with most of these nations, including the Thule and the Grendel.

You can read about diplomatic matters relating to various orc and human nations, as well as learn about opportunities to interact with them in person, in the The price of peace wind of fortune.

Winds and Flames

• Ambassador to Faraden; Imperial Senate; people with weirwood, orichalcum, green iron, and iridescent gloaming; Military Council

Faraden is one of the smaller nations that neighbour the Empire, a country of merchants and wizards, proud warriors and heretical priests who almost follow the Way but not quite. There is no shared border - the lands of the Jotun lie between them - yet there is still a fair amount of trade and has been for centuries. Relations between the two nations vary from year to year, warm one moment, cool the next, but there has never been open war between the two nations. The Faraden would rather trade.

You can read about the current state of diplomacy between the EMpire and Faraden, and learn about a couple of opportunities to trade, in the Winds and flames wind of fortune.

In the Hills, the Cities

• Ambassador to Axos; Imperial Synod and the Throne; Imperial Senate; citizens with white granite to sell

For centuries, the Empire and Axos had little communication, but recently relations thawed, primarily as a result of the Empire's successful intervention in liberating the Gates of Ipotavo from its siege by the Druj. In the years since, the Empire and Axos enjoyed relatively positive but often volatile relations, with the Empire successfully strong arming the nation into abandoning slavery and then inviting them to become signatories to the Liberty Pact. In the last year or two, however, things have gone from bad to worse, every perceived slight by the Empire making the Axou angrier and angrier.

You can learn about the current unstable situation, and a few opportunities that shouldn't make it any worse, in the In the hills, the cities wind of fortune.

Drumbeat of War

• Ambassador to Asavea; Imperial Synod, including the Way, Highborn, Freeborn, Ambition, and Loyalty assemblies; Imperial Senate; Prelate of Adelmar's Shrine

Among the six great powers, the Asavean Plenum claims to be the oldest. They were a major power before the Highborn came to what is now the Empire. Old Asavean was once the language of international diplomacy, reflecting the influence the Asaveans had across the known world. Today their power is much reduced, their society fallen into decadence and introspection, but they are still known for both their political acumen, and their ruthlessness in the face of any attempt to challenge their power. And right now they are at war with the Empire.

You can read not only about the diplomatic tensions with the Asaveans, but also about opportunities related to the missionaries and wayfarers bolstering the Way in the Archipelago, in the Drumbeat of war wind of fortune.

Peaks and Planes

• Marcher and Urizen Assemblies, as well as priests of both nations; Marcher Landskeepers and Threshers

The Marcher and Urizen Assemblies have continued to try to build rapprochement between the two nations following the conflict that developed over the emergence of Cold Sun. At the same time, though, a growing rift between the Marcher Assembly and the people of the Marches bodes ill for all concerned. While one crisis may be brought to a close, another is rearing its ugly head.

You can learn about the opportunity for an exchange of ideas between Urizen and the Marches, and about the challenges facing the Marcher Assembly, in the Peaks and planes wind of fortune.

Famine and Feast (Plenipotentiary)

• Imperial Archmages and magicians; Imperial Conclave; Fleet owners; the Knight-protector of Spring, the Keeper of the Golden Fields, Sir Elienne of Dawn, Hand of the Healers and the Granger of the Golden Orchard; visionaries, seers and mystics; Severin de Rondell and those currently poking around the Necklace of the Swan

Six eternals received [[missives from the archmages during the Spring Equinox; six eternals have responded to those messages in the months leading up to the Summer Solstice. Four have arranged meetings - both parley and not - for the coming summit, and while two decline to attend they have nonetheless provided boons to Imperial citizens. One of the eternals has not held parley with Imperial magicians for quite some time; and with good reason. The others are unlikely to proove as controversial... probably.

You can learn about the responses of the eternals, and the messages they have sent, in the Famine and feast Wind of Fortune.

A Star is Born

• Participants in the expedition to Bring Prosperity to Rachensgrab; Imperial Senate; Celestial Arch; Imperial Synod

At the Spring Equinox, an expedition was proposed, sending fleets and military units to the Sea of Steel with the intention of bringing Prosperity to the former slaves liberated during the fall of Rachensgrab. The expedition also intended to do a cursory exploration of the area around the former aerie of the slave lords.

Now the expedition has returned, and you can find out what they discovered far to the east in the A star is born wind of fortune.

Rock and a Hard Place

• Marches; Marcher artisans; Marcher assembly

Last season, the Empire completed the dredging of Westmere. Mixed in with the mud and the silt dragged from the bottom was a huge block of rune-carved stone. Landskeepers who examined the rock confirmed it was hideously cursed, and boded certain doom for anyone who attempted to use it. The question was what could be done with it? It couldn't stay near Meade, that was the one thing everyone could agree on...

You can learn about what has happened with the Anvil of Silence, and what that means for the Marches, in the Rock and a hard place wind of fortune.

Kith and Kin

• Marches and Highguard; Imperial Senate; Champion of Prosperity

At the Winter Solstice, the Highborn Assembly declared their peerless kinship with the Marches. The desire was there to help strengthen their kin and do what they could to support their fellow nation. However they were held back by a lack of direction from the Marches and a nagging fear that the current situation in Bregasland might mean that instead of helping they could just make things worse. The Marcher Assembly has allayed those fears, by using a Synod judgement to identify what would help most to their fellow priests.

You can find out about what opportunities this has revealed, and how peerless kinship might continue, in the Kith and kin wind of fortune.

Other Events

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

Flavia's Will Enacted

• Falvia's Will has been discharged

Shortly before the Winter Solstice 384YE a prolific Urizen seer named Flavia of Crystal Hall peacefully passed away. Her will instructed that a certain notable item from her collection of curiosities should be granted to the first person who could complete several puzzles of her own devising.

At the Spring Equinox the executor of her will, a man named Vincenzo di Sarvos, made the journey to Anvil to present the prize to the contest's joint winners: Eleri Bronwen's Rest and Melchior of Adina's Charge. Vincenzo has since now announced that he now considers the matter to be concluded, his obligation discharged. He suggests anyone wishing to learn the puzzle's solutions - including those in the File:Flavia's Will.pdf - seek out one of the winners to discuss the answers.

Trade Summary

Rather than spread this information out around the various foreign nations, we've collected it here for ease of reference.

• Asavean Archipelago: The port of Nemoria is closed to Imperial trading vessels.
• Axos: The Axos continue to be annoyed about revelations relating to Imperial involvement in the failure of their joint venture with the Grendel into the Mountains of the Moon. Consequently, Imperial fleets suffer penalties to trade with Axos. A fleet captain trading at the Towers of Kantor suffers a -2 rank penalty.
• Commonwealth: The ports of Leerdam and Volkavaar welcome Imperial traders.
• Principalities of Jarm: The ports of Kavor and Vezak remain closed to Imperial fleets.
• Sarcophan Delves: Imperial captains continue to be welcomed in the Delves. Fleets trading with the great port-city of Sarcophan receive an additional dose of Marrowort and an additional dose of Imperial Roseweald on top of their normal production. The port of Betovering is open to Imperial fleets.
• Sumaah Republic: There is no penalty to trade with Zemeh and Imperial fleets are welcomed. Be aware that the amount of liao and Imperial roseweald offered has switched as per the Parts of speech wind of fortune.
• Grendel: The port of Oran is closed to Imperial fleets.
• Iron Confederacy: The port of Robec is available for Imperial fleets but suffers a -1 rank penalty due to sanctions from the Suranni.
• Faraden: The port of Caitun is available for Imperial fleets. Fleets from the Marches and Wintermark benefit from a +1 rank bonus due to close proximity.

Mandates

• You can find details of the mandates, along with the rest of the Synod judgements, here.

A number of mandates were successfully upheld in the Imperial Synod last season. As long as the named priest provided sufficient liao, those mandates have been automatically enacted.

Spring Conjunctions

• Last event there were a number of conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate; their known outcomes are listed here

During the Spring Equinox, there were a number of conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate identified by the Imperial prognosticators. In each case a band of Imperial heroes used that conjunction to travel to a location far from Anvil and intervene in an ongoing situation. These are the known outcomes of those conjunctions. In the case of battles, it is important to remember that the Military Council can only make use of two of the major conjunctions each summit, choosing which to take advantage of during the Muster.

Major Conjunctions

Location	Opportunity	Opposition	Link	Outcome
Liathaven, Liath's Glen, Wyndyn Path	Thwart Beater Royse	Jotun & Yegarra	Under the firelight	Not taken; Green March under threat from the Jotun; the Jotun benefit from increased natural resupply in Liathaven; condition of the Feni unknown
Kallavesa, West March, Hvalgrunn	Defeat Jarl Idunn	Jotun & Yegarra	Under the firelight	Field Marshal was Iron Osric of Wintermark; Banner of the Bear Who Swims was claimed; the three Sibling Swords were recovered; Mikko 'Stoutheart' dealt with
Mareave, Fleisardh, Brine Blood Bay	Capture the Brine Turtles	Grendel	Sea-wood fed with copper	Not taken; situation unclear
Madruga, Free Landing, Siakha's Maw	Stop Siakha's Cults	Grendel	The cry of gulls	Field Marshal was Nicassia Avicia of Phoenix Reach of Urizen; kraken eggs were released into the coast; Thunderous Deluge and Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea were both cast on Madruga; status of Mohrain Luain unclear; Sea Mage Tuairisc survived.

Normal Conjunctions

#	Location	Responsibility	Overview	Result
1	Karov, Duzekani, The Broken Copse	Overseer of the Westward Road	Defeat the Festering Warden	The Festering Warden was defeated and the other husks slain
2	Miaren, Goldglades, The Old Green Fort	Aniera Exiles End	Meet with the Burning Vine	Uncertain but Aniera Exiles End may know more
3	Spiral, Screed, Sabina's Sward	Oblivion Sentinel	Kill the Grendel	The Grendel all slain
4	Weirwater, Weirmoor, Roland's Stand	Castellan of Spiral Castle	Defeat the Broken Errant	The Broken Errant was defeated and the other husks slain
5	Spiral, Ossuary, Lucia's Grove	Custodian of the Legacy	Stop the Grendel	The Grendel all slain and the Legacy protected
6	Karov, Malimorzi, The Granite Path	Boyar of the Iron Roads	Defeat the Iron Boyar	The Iron Boyar was defeated and the other husks slain
7	Mareave, Eoradal, Old Skouran Orchard	Vitore Van Temeschwar	Prevent the Grendel from escaping	Grendel defeated and treasure retrieved
8	Kahraman, Gambit, Path of Sofia	Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills	Stop the Jotun	Jotun defeated and Escuta prevented from receiving additional resupply
9	Feroz, Morajasse, Taziolar's Woods	Champion of Wisdom	Intercept the suspicious Faraden agent	Uncertain but Valens Leos may know more
10	Sermersuaq, Suaq Fount, Hanleth's Wastes	Custodian of the Pride of Ikka's Tears	Defeat Freydis and the rest of the Jotun	Freydis and the rest of the Jotun were defeated
11	Segura, Burnish, Ring of Dust and Glass	High Bard of the Empire	Perform Align the Celestial Net to neutralise the Fire Beacon	Ritual performed and remnants of the Fire Beacon neutralised
12	Brocéliande, Black Boughs, Trove of Gral'athet	Reeve of Greenforest Fair	Slay the vallornspawn	Vallornspawn slain and Dawnish military units given access to the trove
13	Segura, Sobral Grasses, Parched Grasses	Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind	Rescue the magician and destroy the Yoorn-marked Patrician	Gideon of the Farthest Shore rescued and Yoorn-marked Patrician destroyed
14	Brocéliande, Vale's Lament, Cara's Thicket	Champion of Loyalty	Slay the vallornspawn	Vallornspawn slain and thorns saved
15	Kahraman, Jade Range, Parched Range	Mistress of the Dust Parador	Deal with the Lasambrian champion and destroy the Irremais-marked Patrician	Irremais-marked Patrician destroyed. Nemi i Riqueza may know more about the Lasambrian champion.
16	Hercynia, Deer's Folly, Toxic Dell	Spear of the Seven	Distract the vallornspawn	Vallornspawn successfully distracted
17	Hercynia, Deer's Folly, Toxic Dell	Archmage of Spring	Perform the Dance of Navarr and Thorn	The Dance of Navarr and Thorn successfully performed
18	Segura, Lucksprings, Parched Springs	Bakar i Riqueza	Destroy the Naeve-marked Patrician and recover dust	Naeve-marked Patrician destroyed and dust recovered
19	Necropolis, Sanctuary Sands, Orchard of the Third Step	Champion of Prosperity	Reclaim the heirloom	Heirloom recovered and all Grendel killed
20	Necropolis, Longbeach, Ada's Woods	Imperial Spymaster	Prevent the Grendel from escaping with intelligence	All Grendel slain and intelligence recovered
21	Necropolis, Highrod, Coppice of Athaliah	High Exorcist	Defeat the Grendel and put the ghosts to rest	Both ghosts put to rest and all Grendel slain
22	Weirwater, Wickmoor, Regan's Glade	Knight-protector of Spring	Guide the creatures home	All boggarts rescued
23	Skarsind, Pakaanan's Pass, Bitter Hollow	Storm Shaman	Defeat the scions	Significant Imperial casualties. Majority of scions survived and force of Storm Pass channelled
24	Upwold, Birchland, James' Orchard	Keeper of the Golden Fields	Guide the creatures home	All boggarts rescued
25	Bastion, Sybella Cross, Disordered Expanse	Knight-protector of Spring	Perform Regrow the Lands Heart and defeat the scions	Regrow the Land's Heart successfully performed
26	Hercynia, Summersend, Merel's Glade	Granger of the Golden Orchard	Guide the creatures home	Most boggarts killed
27	Karov, Wieliczka, Glade of Haamrikoht	Champion of Courage	Defeat the scions	Significant Imperial casualties. Majority of scions survived and the Haamrikoht Stone sundered
28	Arbonne, Laufette, Anduz Watch	Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy	Auction rights of salvage	Auction rights purchased on behalf of Highguard