When something is lost

John scanned the horizon, looking, desperately, anywhere for a patch of blue sky. There was nothing, of course. Just the same endless billowing green, as if the sky itself were carpeted in grass. Every time he raised his eyes to the sky, he got his hopes up, but every time they were dashed.

"It ain't natural," he said, the statement a contender for the worst understatement by a Marcher from Hay this week.

"No. As I keep telling you, we're ain't in Mitwold no more." Hatty Hay was trying not to snap but it was hard to keep a civil tongue in her mouth. "We're in some kind of regio. Some kind of enormous fucking regio. The size of Mitwold, or bigger even. Mebbe bigger than the whole Empire. Mebbe bigger than the whole world."

"I still don't see how can it be bigger than Madruga, and fit in the territory." John liked Hattie, best Landskeeper in the Drakes, as he often told people. But that was best as in "best at fixing broken bones" and the like. She was rubbish at explanations. He hadn't known that til now. Hadn't needed to mind.

Hattie bit her tongue and changed the subject. "Stop chewing teeth, we'll be fine. They'll find a way to get us out of here. And in the meantime, keep your eye on that sky. First bit of blue you see, you let me know."

John hoisted his pack. It was noticeably lighter than when they'd set out. That was definitely not reassuring.

What do you do when something is lost?

Overview

• An enchantment has been cast on Madruga
• It coincides with two Imperial armies bringing the last two regions of the transfigured territory into the Empire
• One of those armies has not come back out of the marshes

Once Madruga was grassy plains, rich coastline, and prosperous islands. Now the islands are in the hand of the Suranni, the coastline is only just recovering from terrible storms and magical chaos, and much of the grassland has been transfigured into an enchanted marsh infused with the powers of the Night, Spring, and Winter realms. Mind you, this is the Brass Coast and there are plenty of Freeborn who welcome the excitement, unpredictability, and wonder each day promises.

After the Summer Solstice, magic started to settle over Madruga. It took a little time to get going - this magic is full of the dreams of forests that have not grown in Madruga for a very long time indeed. What few woodlands there were went to build the ships the Freeborn value so highly. At the same time the magic was weaving its way across the twilit bayou and the grasslands, two Imperial armies were finally bringing the last regions of the territory back into Imperial control.

One of those armies has since come back to report success. The other... has not.

Shadows over the Bayou

• A potent Night magic enchantment has settled over Madruga
• Folk living there or visiting experience vibrant dreams of nighttime forests
• Encounters with heralds of the Night realm, especially Sung, Sadogua, and Azoth, have become a little more common

Night magic pools in Madruga, in quiet places throughout the territory. It whispers through the dreams of the people, who are visited by visions of a strange night-time forest. A swampy, marshy forest of cypress, alder, willow, and mangrove. The forest is alive with strange creatures, rainbow-hued little beasts that switch from one shape to another. From scuttling lizard, to soaring laughing bird, to chattering monkey, to three-tailed cat, to meddlesome octopus, to surreptitious alligator, to long-legged dodo-bird with a crest of eyes. They are not threatening, but they are strange and they trail dreamers who walk or punt through the phantasmal woodlands.

Encounters with the Night Realm are noticeably more common, little sparks of unexpected magic clearly drawing on the resonances of the Wondrous Forest. In particular, people talk of seemingly chance encounters with odd heralds of that realm especially those answering to Rainbow Serpent, Brother of Wizards, and Crucible itself. The creatures tend to be friendly, interested in the people, encouraging folk in the usual manners for their kind, happy to accept hospitality. This is the Brass Coast, and they often offer little boons in return for food and drink. They also offer payment for things no Freeborn would consider deserving of recompense - conversation, answers, the chance to pet a dog.

Obviously, given the nature of this kind of magic and the territory itself (especially Crucible) there is a significant chance of some kind of unexpected outcome. Perhaps even permanent transformation of the territory in some way...

An Absolutely Terrible Idea

• Nobody is entirely sure who first came up with it but a daring proposal has been made

Everybody says they heard it from somewhere else, but there's a fascinating idea doing the rounds. It might have come from the heralds of Azoth, who everyone knows love transcendence through alchemy and learning through experience almost as much as they adore inspiration through madness. It might have been mentioned in one of the long, rambling conversations between drunk hakima and heralds of Sadogua. It might even have been whispered into the wind by some of the children of Sung. Not that the heralds of the Night realm have a monopoly on ideas of dubious good sense - it's just as likely to have come from a hakima inspired by their dreams or even a visiting citizen from another nation entirely.

The idea is straightforward enough. The magic that infuses southern and western Madruga is not drawn from a single realm. So why not follow the Night enchantment currently nestled over the territory with a Spring and a Winter enchantment - in any order - and see what happens? Obviously the Children of Wrecks were throwing potent Spring magic around during their occupation of the islands but it was very much in the form of destructive curses. But it can't be denied that such magic occasionally leads to beneficial results here and there - spreading marsh flowers for example. Wouldn't an enchantment intended to be beneficial be more likely to bring good results in Siroc Bayou, Crucible, or even the Quiet Grasses? They wouldn't even necessarily have to be cast strictly consecutively - although the order might matter - as long as no other enchantments were inserted in between. There is a very vague attempt to name the idea the "Madrugahedron" (referencing the omnihedron beloved by some Urizeni) but it doesn't really catch on.

Before anyone can do anything as organised as make a concrete proposal, however, the other effect of that this Night enchantment seems to have had a hand in becomes clear and people have other things to talk about.

Into Crucible

• The Drakes and the Star Forged have entered the Bayou, but become split up
• By the end of the season the Star Forged have emerged relatively unscathed, but the Drakes have not
• There is no sign of the missing army; more than six thousand Marcher soldiers have completely disappeared

Since the transfiguration of Madruga - since the Dry Patricians were defeated and their terrible Blight washed away by waters infused with Spring and Night and ultimately Winter magic - this has been a place of mysteries and wonders. Last season, a season of phantasms and foam, the Red Wind Corsairs explored Siroc Bayou attempting to understand the shifting marshes and bring this magically infused geography into the Empire proper. They encountered difficulties but still made some headway mastering two thirds of the marshlands.

After the Summer Solstice, the Corsairs set off for the Marches, alongside the Fire of the South, and took part in the campaign against the Jotun in Bregasland. Two armies came south to complete their work - the Star Forged, the new army of Navarr, and the Drakes, the proud first army of the Marches. Putting subtlety to one side, both armies were ordered to undertake an overwhelming assault against the strangeness of the Bayou and Crucible, and that is exactly what they did. Both armies bore enchantments - the Drakes carried the Clarity of the Master Strategist, invaluable in mastering the mysteries of the marshes. The Star Forged were empowered with Find the Best Path, an enchantment that improves not only speed but the logistical structures of an army allowing them to move with confidence over long distances. Remember that bit.

Elsewhere in the territory there is some commentary from the heralds of the Night realm that the approach of the two armies is all wrong, too violent, too unsubtle, but the creatures of Night often say that kind of thing. There may be a ring of truth to it all - for the first month or so there are semi-regular reports from Navarr messengers of encounters with phantasmal soldiers similar to those the Red Wind Corsairs mentioned. Sometimes human, sometimes orc, sometimes something unlike either, they seem to be drawn out of history or in from dreams. There is fighting, but amazingly no casualties are suffered. The wounds the phantoms cause seem to lie in the mind and the spirit rather than on the body. The two armies complete the work of the 'Corsairs. Siroc Bayou still contains enigmas, as befits any locale infused with the essences of both the Primal Forest and the Wondrous ones. They proceed to the next target - to Crucible itself.

Logan Dusklight, General of the Star Forged

The first report, delivered by a cheerful Navarr messenger, is that everything is proceeding as expected. Then... nothing. The next messenger does not arrive with a status update, and neither does the one after that or... There are a handful of Freeborn explorers who brave Crucible in search of treasures and wonders to sell in the markets of Calvos and Quzar. This season when they emerge from the marshes they report encounters with the Drakes and the Star Forged, surprised that people seem so concerned about them. The last such sighting indicates that the two armies have split up to cover more ground, but are confident that by the start of the Winter Solstice they will have ensured Crucible is part of Madruga in fact as well as name.

The silence from the armies themselves, however, stretches on. A patrol of soldiers sent in to make sure everything is alright are swallowed up and disappear in their turn. Something is clearly wrong...

Then, a little over three weeks before the Autumn Equinox, the Star Forged emerge from Crucible into Lightsea. They are muddied and exhausted, but triumphant. Between them, the Drakes and the Star Forged have mapped out enough of Crucible, have established outposts and encampments, that the region is now truly Imperial. They warn that the place is very confusing, that the deeper one pushes into Crucible the larger and wilder it seems to become, although that might just be the Night magic and the Spring magic playing tricks on the mind.

What they haven't brought out of Crucible with them however are the Drakes themselves. There is some confusion among the Navarr - they thought the Drakes would rendezvous with them in Lightsea. And yet there is no sign of the Marcher army. The entire six-thousand-strong force of the Marches has vanished.

The only sign of the Drakes comes when four units under the command of Iñez i Azul-Mar i Riqueza of the Brass Coast, Fay Baker of Dawn, and two Marcher captains - Lazarus and John of Meade. They are as confused as the Star Forged - they seem to have only jumbled recollections of the last few weeks, and believed the rest of the army was right behind them. But there continues to be no sign of the Marcher army.

Participation : Mist Walking

• Anyone whose military unit supported the Drakes or the Star Forged has jumbled recollections of their time in the marshes
• Any such character with the naga lineage might find their physical or roleplaying trappings becoming stronger
• Any unlineaged human character who supported one of the armies may choose to change their lineage to naga after the Autumn Equinox

Any character whose military unit supported one of the armies that were exploring and cataloguing the Siroc Bayou and Crucible, you are likely to have jumbled recollections of precisely what happened. The more you try to remember the harder it is to keep a coherent thread. You are encouraged to skim over some of the other text about the marshes, such as that in Phantasms and foam last season, or the descriptions of the marshes' peculiarities in the Made anew wind of fortune.

Any character with the naga lineage who supported the Drakes or the Star Forged, or is the general of one of those armies, may use this as an opportunity to strengthen their lineage trappings or to focus on one or more of their roleplaying trappings and heighten their effects.

Likewise, any human character with no lineage who supported one of the armies may choose to develop the naga lineage. Given the short gap between this wind of fortune being produced and the event, you may want to demonstrate roleplaying trappings at the Autumn Equinox and arrange your trappings afterward - meaning you can email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk after the event to get your lineage updated.

Still In There Somewhere

• Magicians and their eternal allies all agree that the Marcher army has been trapped somehow by the kaleidoscope of magic that permeates the Bayou
• The Star Forged were saved by the nature of the enchantment on them, the Drakes were not so fortunate
• To get them back, the Empire will have to go and look for them

The hakima from the Parador of Salt and Sand are among some of the first to talk to those who have emerged from the marshes, and a potential explanation begins to emerge. The Night magic enchantment on Madruga has done something to the Crucible. The Drakes are, as near as anyone can tell, still exploring it. It looks as if the magic enhancing their ability to claim ground - the Clarity - may actually have worked against them in fact by encouraging them to keep seeking to understand a place that defies explanation. The Star Forged however were enchanted with an Autumn magic working that empowers armies to get where they are going. While the Crucible might have drawn them in, ultimately their enchantment served to ensure they emerged unfazed.

All the reports suggest the Marcher soldiers are probably fine - but the longer they stay in Crucible the more likely they are to either get so lost they can never return, or to undergo some kind of terrible transformation, or to encounter something more dangerous than phantasmal dream soldiers.

Conveniently, there are a few heralds of the Night realm in Madruga who are happy to offer their own particular brand of assistance when challenged. The little wizards of Sadogua concurr with the hakima assessment, and are more than happy to get into the deep and confusing weeds of a conversation about the interactions of different kinds of magic. The heralds of Azoth find the questions a little confusing, and suggest that rather than assuming the Drakes are lost, they should instead consider them to be on a bold adventure, one that might lead to exciting new insights into magic, war, and the mortal spirit. The heralds of Sung reply to all questions with questions of their own, the most common being "What do you do when something is lost?" which at first seems very unhelpful but provides inspiration to the hakima. What you do when something is lost is you go and look for it.

Finding the Missing Legion

• The Drakes are lost in the trackless Marshes of the Crucible
• Helping to bring them back will require a concerted effort by their allies
• The Military Council could apply the guerdon to the efforts to rescue the Drakes

The likely explanation is that the Drakes are still in Crucible somewhere. The Imperial Seer, Jorma Steelhail, should be able to confirm this with a simple casting of Eyes of the Sun and Moon. The Marcher egregores should likewise know whether the soldiers of the Drakes are still alive and well or not. The heralds of Sadogua and Azoth certainly think they are, but their definition of "alive and well" is of questionable value.

Following the Autumn Equinox there will be an opportunity for military units to launch a rescue mission into the Crucible. The aim will be to find the Drakes and lead them safely out of Crucible before anything bad happens to them. Nothing is ever easy, however, and definitely not in places like Crucible after a potent Night enchantment.

After the Autumn Equinox, any military unit can take the venture Find the Drakes. This is a scouting action that represents venturing into Crucible, helping find the missing Marcher army, convincing them that they are lost in magical marshes, and leading them back to Lightsea or Quiet Grasses (or indeed anywhere that is not Crucible). Instead of the usual production a military unit receives, a standard military unit would gain one random marsh flower, and 36 rings (representing wonders of the marshes). This is a pitiful recompense, but obviously the Quartermaster General could apply the Imperial Guerdon.

As with many such situations the amount of strength applied to this venture effects the outcome.

Less than 5,000 Strength - Further In
A limited response will mean the Drakes are not rescued in time for the Winter Solstice 388YE. They remain lost in the marshes, and they will have lost 2,000 strength due to missing soldiers and the dangers of the deep Crucible. There will be another attempt to rescue them at the Winter solstice.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 Strength - Desperate Egress
The rescue mission is a success, and the Drakes emerge from Crucible in time for the Winter Solstice. In the process however, they will have lost 1,000 strength due to soldiers who get left behind, disastrous encounters, or unrecoverable transformations.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 Strength - Controlled Extraction
The Drakes emerge from Crucible in time for the WInter Solstice. They have sustained some losses but their strength falls only by 500. They will also have the opportunity for a change to their quality, either related to their time in the transformative marshes or the inspirational support and outpouring of love from their people.

More than 20,000 Strength - Total Victory
The Drakes emerge from Crucible hale and hearty, with the opportunity for a new quality. In addition they and the other explorers of the marshes will have discovered an opportunity in the marshes that could be exploited by the Empire in the future.

To complicate matters, not every military unit is equally able to contribute to this venture. Freeborn, Navarr, and Marcher units provide their full effectiveness. Military units from any other nation contribute (and receive rewards) as if their strength were two ranks lower.

Some folk have an advantage here however - any military unit that supported either the Drakes or the Star Forged this season receives a 2 rank bonus to help rescue the Drakes, affecting both effective strength and rewards.

All Things Can Have A Price

• Rather than focus solely on finding the Drakes a military unit could go looking for treasure
• These military units will gain more treasure and provide less help to find the Drakes
• All military units taking either action will appear in a single list compiled by the civil service
• If finding the drakes gets the guerdon, then everyone involved will be able to claim the rewards

There is another approach here, but one that might result in a little bit of... criticism. Instead of focusing exclusively on finding the Drakes, a military unit might take the opportunity to do some exploration of their own and see what they can pick up. As well as the Find the Drakes venture, the Take Your Time Looking For Lost Marchers venture is also available. This is a questing venture, and a standard military unit that undertakes it will receive 2 pieces of "Adversity Vis" (that is, Vital Honey, Hearts Blood, or Crystal Fire) and two marsh flowers. An upgraded or enchanted military unit will receive commensurately more treasure.

This venture is available to anyone who wants to take it. Those military units receiving a two rank bonus from supporting one of the two armies this season will still do so. However there is a drawback to this action and that is that regardless of the effective strength of the military unit, it will only contribute 50 effective strength towards finding the Drakes and guiding them out of Crucible. The actual rank of the military unit and its enchantments will have no bearing on the amount they contribute.

There isn't any way for the civil service to tell who is searching for the Drakes and who is taking their time about it, so a single list will appear with all the names on the same roll of honour. If the guerdon is applied to finding the Drakes, then everyone who takes either venture will be able to claim a share of it.

Pride of the Marches

• The General of the Drakes is still a General
• The General can still issue an order to the army though the force can't actually leave the region or undertake an attack or defence
• Folk from the Marches can support the Drakes to help them deal with potential casualties providing a lifeline to home
• It is still possible to target the army with an enchantment but impossible to predict what if anything it will do
• There is no upkeep for the army this season
• The general of the Drakes is Alfred Houtman Fella

Obviously the general of the Drakes Alfred Houtman Fella is in a little bit of a bind given their army is missing in action. The civil service have confirmed that they still are a general even though their army is currently somewhere in Madruga. They can still participate freely in the Military Council until such time as proof emerges that the Drakes are never coming back. They can even still issue an order, but only the text of the order matters. The army will remain in Madruga, lost in Crucible. It also isn't possible for military units to take the campaigning action to support the army. It is still possible to place an enchantment on the army using the general as focus, but impossible to predict exactly what the effect will be. The ritual will still have its effect but the ability of the Drakes to benefit from it will depend entirely on what it is.

There is no upkeep for the army this season, since the civil service has no easy way to feed and billet the army.

If absolutely nothing else, sending a few hundred poppets to the soldiers of the Drakes certainly can't hurt.

Pride and Loyalty

• An outpouring of Pride and Loyalty inspires the folk of the Marches
• Heralds of Sadogua and Lashonar have agreed to carry care packages and messages of support to the stranded Drakes
• Any Marcher character can choose to support the rescue of the Drakes albeit with limited effect

There are concerns about how the soldiers on campaign, lost in the trackless marshes of Madruga will survive, but that only results in an outpouring of support from the Marches, especially Upwold. The Drakes are well loved, after all, and if Tom Drake taught anything else it is that you look out for your own. Obviously, this being the Marches, there has also been some recrimination from people who ought to know better who argue that a sinister Freeborn conspiracy has intentionally sacrificed the Drakes to Azoth but it is probably safe to ignore those people. Humans and orcs want to do everything they can to help, even if they can't send beaters of their own to deal with the situation.

By itself its not clear how they could help (beyond encouraging or enchanting military units), but help comes from unexpected sources. Some of the smiths and landskeepers have spoken to servants of Sadogua and Lashonar, and both eternals have committed to offer their assistance. They are prepared to carry messages and supplies into the Crucible and make sure they get to the Drakes. In a similar manner to the way the Navarr and the Imperial Orc nations were able to support the raid against the Great Forest Orcs, the people of the Marches can show their support for the Drakes if they wish.

Any Marcher character can take the action to support the venture to Support the Drakes. Any character that chooses to support the action will suffer a 50% penalty to the normal production of their personal resource. A character with a congregation that supports the venture will instead receive no liao, but will keep all their Synod votes. They will however not be able to undertake a lecture or preach at the same time. A fleet likewise can't take a different voyage, including trading or supporting a navy. Instead of their normal production they'll get the same as a military unit (a marsh flower and some valuables).

Even if they aren't going to Madruga personally, they can still provide crucial supplies to support the soldiers of the Drakes themselves. The help they provide won't benefit from enchantments, but all resources of the characters that Support the Drakes will contribute half the strength of a military unit of equivalent rank.

Arwydd Clearbramble, Archmage of Spring

Bloodcrow Arora, Archmage of Winter

Brat Umbral Path, Archmage of Night

Each resource that takes this action will contribute 50 strength to the Find the Drakes venture. For every 100 Marcher characters take the option, any damage suffered due to a partial success will be reduced by 500. In the event that the mission is a full success, not only will the army not suffer any casualties but they will be revitalised and receive 500 additional resupply this season.

Eternal Aid

• Plenipotentiary could be used to ask for help for the Drakes
• A poorly chosen eternal or a poorly worded request for help will do more damage than good

While much of the focus on the missing army revolves around the Night enchantment and the heralds of Night, Crucible is affected by three realms of magic not only one. In theory, the Archmage of Winter, Archmage of Night, Archmage of Spring, or Stone Smith could each use their plenipotentiary at the Autumn Equinox to ask an appropriate eternal to intercede and help the Drakes. This is a risky course of action - the choice of eternal and exactly what they were asked to do will be crucial. Neither the eternals of Spring nor Night are especially fond of armies, and the aid of the eternals of Winter always comes at a price.

In the event that an eternal was asked for aid and minded to provide it, they could certainly increase the chances of the Drakes returning safe and untransformed. The civil service estimate that the aid of an eternal would add 3,000 to the effective strength of the Find the Drakes venture. Two or more eternals would likely conflict with each other however - a second eternal would add another 2,000 effective strength, and a third only another 1,000.

Anyone attempting this should be very careful. A poorly phrased request, or a request to an eternal that for whatever reason was not disposed to help, had problems with the Marches or the Drakes, or disliked the Empire, would instead subtract 5,000 from the effective strength of the Find the Drakes mission, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Order, Order

• A single Conclave Order could be guided to aid the efforts
• Only one Order can help but only if they are not currently busy elsewhere

Magicians are arguably the ones best placed to help, but which ones? The Conclave could choose one of the Orders and ask them to help recover the Marcher army. If that is the will of the Conclave they will need to choose a single order and give clear guidance on why they want them to help. An Order can only be guided by their grandmaster using one of their two declarations of concord. Doing so would have the usual cost of twenty mana crystals, and would be guaranteed to contribute 1,000 strength to the efforts. Any other potential effects would depend which order was chosen.