383YE Summer Solstice winds of war

They all seem to know exactly what it is they want

Empty

It is a confusing time in the Brass Coast, with both Jotun and Grendel seeking to carve it into pieces like a festival-day roast. The Quiet Step and the Strong Reeds are gone from Segura, but not from the Brass Coast. They have marched east into Feroz to protect the rich lowlands from the rampaging Grendel. The people of the westernmost Freeborn territory have not been abandoned however; in their place two Highborn armies have arrived. The Granite Pillar and the Seventh Wave protect the people of Segura from the Lasambrian Jotun, fighting the orcs across the great empty plains and grasslands that make up the bulk of the south-western corner of the Empire.

It is perhaps unsurprising that there is confusion; that the Granite Pillar seem to think they are fighting the Grendel. It is a chaotic time to be in the Brass Coast. They quickly realise their mistake, and adjust their tactics. Yet at the same time it begs the question... how long will it be before the Grendel are in Segura? If their invasion of Feroz continues at its current rate... that is a concern for the future.

For too long have the freeborn stood alone against the vile Grendel raiders. The Granite Pillar will move to Segura and stand as an immovable wall against the Grendel menace. Pursue a strategic defence of Segura and make the Grendel pay horribly for any advances made. Ambition Inspires!.

Mathayus, General of the Granite Pillar

Segura is essentially a vast grassland studded with farms and villages, and the Lasambrian Jotun - the grim-faced Hierro, the rapacious Corazón, the inscrutable Escuta - are adept at using the wide open spaces to their advantage. They strike from unexpected directions, withdrawing swiftly, leading the defenders a merry dance. Fortunately, the Highborn have come prepared - both armies bear insightful Day magic enchantments that allow them to predict the movements of the orcs, and coordinate their reactions even over the great rolling plains of Segura. The Granite Pillar in particular, adept as they are at countering the aggressive strategies employed by so many orc nations, serve as a strong foundation on which the Seventh Wave build a wall of steel and Virtue. The Pillar is supported by a dozen independent captains, primarily from Highguard.

On the other side, the orcs beneath the banner of the Firebird continue to press their claim to Segura. While the Escuta advance cautiously, the Hierro seek to avoid direct engagements with Imperial forces, ceasing their advance and taking up defensive positions as soon as they are engaged.

The Corazón continue their raids deep into Imperial territory, robbing, looting, and driving people from their farms and villages. They are supported by several thousand knights from the Summer Realm - crimson haired warriors in golden scale who fight beneath fluttering pennants showing the roaring lion of Eleonaris. They seem a little out-of-place on the Corazón raids, seemingly more interested in engaging the armed defenders of the Brass Coast than in robbing the Freeborn farmers and merchants.

Yet, as before, their larcenous tactics are stymied by the most subtle of enchantments - a cunning Autumnal spell that weaves serendipity and coincidence to protect the people of Segura. Orc invaders find themselves turned around on the open plains, their sense of direction subtly manipulated to cause them to miss isolated farmsteads and instead wander into Highborn defensive positions. Freeborn fleeing the Lasambrian Jotun make surprisingly good time, or coincidentally meet up with soldiers heading in the same direction who can offer them protection. The orcs find it almost impossible to actually locate anything worth stealing and the impact of their raids is dramatically reduced. They still achieve some bold successes but in the end the Freeborn people are able to protect their Prosperity - all while being largely unaware of the magical assistance they are receiving in doing so.

The Enemy kindly invites our attentions in Segura and we will gladly oblige with a wall of steel in aid of our Freeborn comrades. We shall return to the east to finish the job - but for now we look west and hold in a balanced defence.

Cuth, General of the Seventh Wave

There are no pitched battles between orc and Highborn forces, merely a cascading sequence of skirmishes and minor engagements. The closest either side comes is when a major force of Escuta lead by a pale-skinned orc shaman meet a contingent of the Granite Pillar on the Iron Plains. The Highborn are there to help a column of frightened refugees reach the safety of Anozel. The Iron Plains were the sight of a bloody slaughter during the Lasambrian retreat from Segura several years ago, in which orc and Imperial forces clashed again and again as the invaders were slowly driven west. It is said the fields here became so sodden with blood that the harvest that year was tinged with crimson. There are known to be many mystics and seers among the Escuta; perhaps they are looking for something? Whatever they are here for it is clear they have little interest in the refugees, withdrawing whenever the Highborn seek to engage them. There are few minor clashes, but for the most part the Escuta keep their distance.

Again, the Lasambrian Jotun outnumber the Imperial defenders but again the defenders win the day. It is close - perhaps too close - but in the end the two sides are evenly matched. The difference between victory and failure is so narrow that if the Imperials had lacked even one advantage - the wise tactics of the Granite Pillar, the support of independant captains, or even a single strategic enchantment - the orcs would have begun to push forward again. For their part, the tactics of the Lasambrian Jotun did them few favours here - the Corazón were distracted by the pursuit of treasure which availed them nothing; the caution of the Escuta robbed the orcs of opportunities to defeat the Imperial defenders. There is a great deal of speculation, based on certain senate motions, that the orcs may have been expecting the territory to be abandoned by the Empire - or at least proceeding on the assumption that might be the case. The story being told in Segura is that the Seante united as one to oppose any suggestion of ceding Freeborn land to the orcs, and this news has been very well received even if it may prove to be based on optimism rather than fact. Regardless, it has inspired the Seguran people to continue to resist the Lasambrians as best they can; there is scattered talk of a grand gesture to show the "orcs of Virtue" that the Freeborn will not flee in the face of their aggression.

For their part the Lasambrian Jotun continue to treat the conquered Freeborn with respect, and issue them their unique version of Jotun Choice. Join the Lasambrians; keep your land and your possessions but agree to accept the conquerors as your rulers, swearing oaths of loyalty, and offering a portion of your wealth to the Lasambrians as a tithe. Or simply leave, with nothing save a few sentimental keepsakes, and as much food as you can carry on your back. Submission or exile, with death reserved only for those courageous few who refuse to choose either way.

While the fighting in Segura has been sporadic, it has also been bloody. Some fifteen-hundred Highborn are slain, or maimed, or lost. On the other side, it is estimated that less than a thousand Lasambrian Jotun are killed. The line has been held, but it has done so at a significant price.

Game Information : Segura

The situation in Segura has not changed much since the Spring Equinox. Anduzjasse remains entirely in the hands of the Lasambrian Jotun, and while they have not made any further progress toward conquering Anozserei neither has their foothold there been reduced.

Once again, the raids by the Corazón have been largely thwarted by subtle Autumn magic. The magic fades as the Summer Solstice approaches, however. If the Corazón renew their raids after the Equinox, then every farm and business in Segura again risks losing half of its production.

The Lasambrian Jotun maintain their control of the seven Towers of Anduz they have captured. Coupled with the hostile environment the orcs are creating for foreign traders coming into Segura, the benefits of this great work have been halved. If the orcs take any more towers - if they conquer any of the towers in Anozeseri, Yellow Chase, or Burnish - the entire benefit of the great work will be lost until the regions where they stand are liberated.

Finally, while the orcs have not made many gains, there are still people from Anduzjasse and Anozeseri heading east toward Anozel and Cerevado. Many of these refugees are unable to bring anything of value with them, and while the eastern towns of Segura are coping with the influx of borderline destitute Freeborn at the moment it is a close-run thing. If the orcs manage to overcome the defenders in a later season, they will continue to drive penniless exiles into eastern Segura, and the situation may still become a significant problem for the Brass Coast.

People like us know how to survive

The World is Not Enough

At the start of the year, the Grendel invaded Feroz, quickly conquering Oranseri and the Cazar Straits and moving to complete their dominance of the coastal regions by capturing Fortargenta. They have not come with armies, but with their armada - a great swarm of warships, marines, sailors, and mercenaries that quickly crushed resistance on the islands and then swept down the eastern Brass Coast.

During the Spring Equinox, Grendel sorcerers attempted to raise the spirits of the drowned on the haunted Isle of the Osseini. Had they been successful, the ghosts of thousands of orc pirates, buccaneers, and raiders would have formed a fearsome spectral army and rampaged across Feroz alongside their living descendants. Luckily, the heroes of the Empire were able to make use of the Sentinel Gate to put a stop to their audacious plan, and exorcise the ghosts bound to the island by the Osseini sutannir. Many of the priests who tended the island were lost, however. Slain or enslaved by the Grendel, they are no longer able to carry out their sacred task of quieting the restless shades of those lost in the Bay of Catazar. Once the Grendel are dealt with, there will be time to consider what this might mean for the future. For now there are more important considerations.

The Grendel armada has uncontested control of Oranseri and the Cazar Straits - and of the prosperous coastal towns of Oran, Joharra, Cazar, and Shantarim. This is a reason for some concern - especially their control of Oranseri. The Scorrero is particularly wide where it runs past Siroc into the Bay. It is crossed by bridges, but now the Grendel control the southern ends of those bridges. A land force seeking to enter Feroz from Madruga must cross those bridges - and while the Grendel control them it would not be possible to get past without fighting. Worse, the Grendel have demonstrated in the past their willingness to close avenues of approach to territories they control - the passes of Spiral for example or their assault against the Spider's Dream. If the Grendel destroyed the bridges across the Scorrero, it would not be feasible for armies to travel between Madruga and Feroz - they would need to go through Segura to enter the territory.

The orcs control most of the Freeborn coast, and continue to oppress the people of the Brass Coast. While they are not rounding up the population wholesale, orc slavers can pick and choose who to chain and drag back to waiting ships bound for the Broken Shore. There is much cruel humour among those slavers, who talk about the need for fresh new slaves since the "heroes" of the Empire stole so many during their attack on Dubhtraig and their raid on Beoraidh. They are careful only to enslave or rob Imperial citizens however - the small Asavean population that remains are left unmolested. Some, perhaps inspired by the example of the priests of Balo and the Black Bull, take advantage of this to offer sanctuary to Freeborn friends as best they can. A very few even risk transporting hidden refugees out of Feroz to safety in Madruga and Sarvos - usually in return for a great deal of money.

Our cousins in the Black Thorns march on Westwood with our Imperial allies. In the east the citadel guard aid us in Broceliande. We repay this trust by unleashing the dance of thorns on the Grendel infesting Feroz. Disperse amongst our Marcher allies, find the Grendel captains and push their hands for all to see. Poison their water, burn their supplies. Do whatever it takes.

Brennos Brackensong, General of the Quiet Step

The Temple remains closed to the Grendel. Astonishingly they still allow Asavean merchants and sailors to visit it - even those clearly planning to trade with the Empire. Indeed, there are rumours coming north with these merchants that Lord Rahab - the new orc governor of Feroz - is encouraging the priests to preach openly of their gods to any who will listen. "We are not the Empire," he is reported to have said. "We respect your freedom to speak of your faith, and we are not afraid of your words." A few priests have taken him up on his offer - some travelling as far afield as Shantarim and Cazar. In addition to preaching, they also bring back news of the other settlements - and of the progress of the war.

Despite their defeat at Osseini, the Grendel invasion continues. They press on to attack the islands and the shores of Fortargenta, launching their first raid against Bramar within a week of the Spring Equinox. The defenders hold out as best they can, desperate for aid from the rest of the Empire.

A trade hub of sorts, Bramar is perhaps best known as a stopping-off point between the Iron Confederacy and the wider Empire. Since the Imperial Senate imposed sanctions on Suranni traders - and since the southern Dukes declared an embargo on Imperial goods in retaliation - there have been few travellers coming north from the Confederacy. When the Grendel close in on Bramar, those Suranni citizens who remain simply pack up their belongings and depart for the border. It is noted by some observers that the Grendel do not make much effort to intercept them or take their valuables - suspicion is rife that the Iron Confederacy has made some sort of deal with the orcs of the Broken Shore. At first it seems unlikely, but then they did make a military pact with the Jotun to conquer the Lasambrian Hills. Surely the history of violence between their two nations would make any lasting treaty impossible? As with the matter of the Isle of the Osseini, the question of Suranni diplomacy is soon superseded by more immediate concerns.

Luckily, the people of Feroz are not forced to weather the Grendel storm alone. The Strong Reeds and Quiet Step have come east from Segura, pausing briefly to ensure the Spice Gardens are secure and then marching toward the coast to intercept the Grendel. They are quickly joined by the Bounders, fresh from furlough in the Mournwold, having traveled past Fort Braydon and down through the Cinnabar Hills to Morajasse. The journey is not easy; the gentler route through Tassato and along the banks of the Vassa is closed to the Marcher army now that the Grendel control Oranserai.

Shaking the thick red dust from their boots, the Bounders meet up with their fellows in the 'Reeds and take stock. Both Marcher armies are exploring new strategies; they have barely had time to adjust to the changes before being thrust into the thick of things. There is much talk of boundaries, and of making the most of the terrain - but the Grendel are already in Feroz and the Freeborn territory is composed almost entirely of rolling grasslands and islands neither of which lend themselves to guerilla tactics. Instead, the armies split their attentions - the Strong Reeds press into Oranseri while the Bounders move to engage the Grendel forces attacking Fortargenta.

Soldiers of the Strong Reeds, once again the Cowardly Grendel prey on undefended citizens. This season we will punish them. We will enjoy the benefits of the cunning Navarr, and we will be joined by the bounders. The time is to strike with passion, but to control that rage. Our attack will be measured, controlled and victorious.

Jack Flint, General of the Strong Reeds

For their part, the Quiet Step separate their forces, supporting both Marcher armies. They bring with them the cunning tactics of the Navarr - selective strikes against valuable opponents; envenomed blades; and the careful use of poison and fire to attack the Grendel supply lines and caches of provisions. They liberally share their cunning with their allies. There always seems to be an apothecary ready to provide a band with something special to smear on their halberds, or a band of scouts who have identified the perfect location from which to launch volleys of arrows on unsuspecting orcs. With their assistance, the Imperial forces are able to kill a number of important targets among the Grendel forces including many healers and magicians; a handful of beast tamers; and one of the Grendel's powerful quartermasters.

Some of the Marcher soldiers tell stories of peculiar allies who supposedly fight alongside the Navarr of the Quiet Step in Feroz. Close-mouthed battle-magicians who wield venom and curse with cruel precision. Swift-footed creatures with deadly fangs and tearing claws, their faces concealed beneath thick veils and heavy cowls. Even stories of dog-sized scorpions that emerge from the shadows and fight alongside the heirs of Terunael, frenziedly attacking the drakes and war beasts of the Grendel with wicked pincers and dripping stingers. For their part, the Navarr neither confirm nor deny the presence of these unsettling companions, and simply change the subject.

The Imperial forces are further supported by nearly a score of warbands lead by independent captains - primarily Marchers but with a strong contingent of Winterfolk among their number. The initial base of operations is established around the site of Mora's Rock - the incomplete fortification that squats above the town of Mora in Morajasse. It is very nearly finished - and partially garrisoned - but the soldiers here must focus their attention on protecting the construction site. It would be a tragic loss if the Grendel were able to push past and attack the fort before its walls and keep are completed.

Eastern Feroz is much more densely populated than Segura, at least near the coast. The bulk of the fighting takes place not amid rolling grasslands, but in towns and villages, or on the well-maintained roads that connect them. The Grendel seem unprepared for the presence of Imperial forces approaching from the west, and the Empire makes several quick gains. It does not last, however. The orcs it seems have arranged the bulk of their defensive force along the northern coast, watching the approach to Siroc, awaiting an invasion from Madruga. With characteristic discipline, they quickly refocus their efforts against the Strong Reeds. The Marcher advance falters, and is then slowly pushed back westward.

At the same time, the marines and mercenaries pushing through Fortargenta continue their relentless assault. The Bounders clash three times in bloody battles, winning one of the engagements but being forced to retreat in the other two. In the end, they join up with the retreating Strong Reeds and the rest of the Navarr at Bramar and make a stand. Two days of vicious fighting ensue. The Marcher bill blocks and archers rain death on the approaching Grendel, but their positions are overrun one after another by disciplined orcs and savage land sharks. The main strength of the Grendel is in their navies, and they are simply able to bring too many troops to bear too quickly - and resupply those troops too efficiently - for the Imperial armies to hold out.

On the morning of the third day the order is given to abandon Bramar to the Grendel. Some Freeborn are able to retreat with the Imperial armies, others choose to take their chances with the Grendel in the hope that the Empire will liberate their town sooner rather than later. Another rich trading port falls to the Grendel; it encounters the same fate as the other wealthy towns along the Bay. It's valuables are looted, and its citizens become prey for the Grendel slave takers.

Not all the Grendel forces are focused on conquest, however. A significant number of them are more interested in securing the wealth of Feroz and transporting it back to the coast. They range farther afield than their compatriots engaged directly with the Imperial forces - making probing raids against Afar and Mora. A few adventurous warbands strike as far west as the Spice Gardens. They are not interested in conquest - in taking and holding land - but in looting and stealing as much as they can before retreating back to the main Grendel forces. That is not to say that they are cowards - there are pitched battles between Grendel contingents and the Imperial armies - but they retreat as soon as the fight begins to turn against them, fleeing with their ill-gotten loot back toward the ships that will take it far away from the Brass Coast.

As the Summer Solstice draws near the Grendel have almost - but not quite - secured the whole of Fortargenta. Imperial troops are still billeted in the east, however, not far from the town of Afar and the borders of Afarjasse. If those defenders had not been present, the Grendel would have easily conquered Fortargenta - and with it the entire territory of Feroz. But they could not have pushed any further, even if Feroz had remained defenceless. To a degree this exposes a weakness in the Grendel strategy here. Their reliance on their ships allows them to conquer the coast, and the islands, but the marines and soldier-sailors of the Grendel armada would be unable to make any headway into Moarajasse or Afarjasse. While their naval forces may be able to support their land forces, they have no chance of attacking the western regions of Feroz without boots-on-the-ground. This season, at least, there are no signs of those boots. If they had succeeded on the Isle of the Osseini things might have been different... but they did not succeed.

Indeed, if the Grendel had achieved even a sliver of success - if the Empire had been less committed to utterly preventing their rites - they might have raised enough spectres to make the difference here. Even a small force of shades would have given them the weight of numbers needed to completely conquer Fortargenta. Likewise, if the armies fighting here had received less support from independent captains, not just Bramar but the whole region would have been lost. Perhaps most ironically of all, had some of the Grendel forces been as committed to the conquest as their comrades - rather than looting the wealth of the Freeborn - they would have captured Feroz. As it is, they are still not quite there - although they are very close.

The fighting has been costly. All told more than fifteen hundred Imperial soldiers are dead, or captured by the Grendel and carried away in chains. The orcs themselves must have suffered similar casualties.

Game Information : Feroz

The Grendel control Oranseri and the Cazar Straits and are nine-tenths of the way toward conquering Fortargenta - and with it the territory.

They have also control both the offices of the Broken Shore Bounty and the Scorrero Nets. The one silver lining that exists is that while they are denying ilium to the Empire, the Grendel are themselves not in a position to claim their own bounty of star metal. Unfortunately, without the offices in Cazar and Oran, there is nobody to organise the collection of more ilium and as such nobody will get any ilium until either the offices are reclaimed... or the Grendel conquer enough of the Scorrero to be able to start panning for ilium of their own.

The Temple of Balo and the Black Bull remains in occupied territory, and as such the Imperial Delegate to the Temple in Feroz will be unable to access their ministry. The temple still stands - and is unmolested - and in the short term at least its conquest by the Grendel does not seem to have impacted Nemorian enthusiasm for Imperial trade. This outcome does have some implications for the previously released wind of fortune regarding Synod responses to the works of the Asavean Architect; it is not feasible for the faithful to take action against the temple while Oran is under the control of the Broken Shore orcs.

The raiding and looting by the Grendel forces in Feroz means that production of personal resources for characters based in the territory has been reduced. Every character in Feroz has lost 2 ranks from the production of their personal resource this season representing the damage done last season. They will suffer the same penalty next season due to the raids this season. If the Grendel continue to raid, that loss will continue until they stop or steps are taken to protect the citizens of Feroz from their attack.

Fighting against the tide

Keep Breathing

For close to nine months now, the forest of Brocéliande has been alive with malice. The vallorn, roused to wakefulness by a conspiracy of fallen Navarr and twisted servants of Yaw'nagrah, has been trying to spread its influence north and south, into Boar's Dell and Elerael. To take back what little ground the Navarr have managed to claim from it in the last ten centuries; to infest the places they have cleansed of its influence. Each season, the force of the vallorn's urge to expand increases. Each season it becomes a little more difficult to hold it back; to keep the safe places safe.

This season is no different.

Sentinels, we march to serve the Empire. We will defend the Brode, we will defend Elereal. We will prevent the spread of the Vallorn. We are protecting the very souls of the Nation. Make me proud"

Nicassia Avicia of Phoenix Reach, General of the Citadel Guard

The vallorn is not a thing of wishes, or desires, or designs, merely a green engine whose entire function is to exist. It has no real awareness of what it is doing; in place of conscious thought it has only a vegetative need to spread, to propagate itself. Yet its blind urges are not random; they are guided carefully by the hands of other beings who do have designs, desires, and wishes. Yaw'nagrah's goals seem simple enough - to cover all the land in the green chaos of the vallorn. The ambitions of those "heirs of Terunael" who seem to work alongside her are less clear.

Citizen	Nation	Territory	Banner
Hen Was Silverthorn	Navarr
Ethan Scolish	Dawn	Astolat	House Cordraco
Mal` Lassal Scethos	Dawn	Astolat	House Cordraco
Lord Severin De Rondell	Dawn	Astolat	House De Rondell
Roger Du Soleil	Dawn	Astolat	House Du Soleil
Olivia Sepulchre	Dawn	Astolat	House Sepulchre Banner
Lukan Cooper	Dawn	Astolat	House de Carsenere
Knight Commander Cinder Hearthsong	Dawn	Astolat	Phoenix Knights of Asolat
Sola Hearthsong	Dawn	Astolat	Phoenix Knights of Asolat
Stolfo Luun	Dawn	Astolat	Phoenix Knights of Asolat
Brennos Brackensong	Navarr	Broceliande
Brodi Brackensong	Navarr	Broceliande
Cynèsten	Navarr	Broceliande
Dalthios	Navarr	Broceliande
Ish	Navarr	Broceliande
Sloane the Roamer	Navarr	Broceliande
Telyn	Navarr	Broceliande	Ashwood
Brendan	Navarr	Broceliande	Brackensong Steading (Banner)
Lugh	Navarr	Broceliande	Fawn Hollow
Gerallt Two Feet	Navarr	Broceliande	Two Feet
Cayleb	Highguard	Casinea	Felix's Watch Banner
Eldred Olsen	Wintermark	Hahnmark
Veyran Taronson	Wintermark	Hahnmark
Kaisa Vieno Magenling	Wintermark	Hahnmark	Maegensteade
Torven Krigerson	Wintermark	Hahnmark	The Embers of Ashenhall
Volfe Stormchaser	Wintermark	Hahnmark	The Embers of Ashenhall
Alexi Farwalker	Navarr	Hercynia
Ash Honeyforge	Navarr	Hercynia
Bryn Splitroot	Navarr	Hercynia
Kenneth	Navarr	Hercynia
Quill	Navarr	Hercynia
Sedanta	Navarr	Hercynia
Tomarn	Navarr	Hercynia
Turi Longstride	Navarr	Hercynia
Nook	Navarr	Hercynia	Brackensong Steading (Banner)
Seamus Chainbreaker	Navarr	Hercynia	Broken Chain Striding
Kale	Navarr	Hercynia	Grove Guard
Scota	Navarr	Hercynia	Pathfinders
Arkann Shatterhorn	Navarr	Hercynia	Shatterhorn Striding
Arthur Longest Path	Navarr	Hercynia	The Longest Path
Maddoc	Navarr	Hercynia	Wolf's Bone
Vito Guerra	The Brass Coast	Kahraman	Flames of the Coast
Theomer Leofricsson	Wintermark	Kallavesa
Leif Arnbjorn	Wintermark	Kallavesa	Anfalhearth
Baddon Red Oaks	Navarr	Liathaven
Bran Holm	Navarr	Liathaven
Branam Embercast	Navarr	Liathaven
Danza Pathfinder	Navarr	Liathaven	Pathfinders
Meilyr	Navarr	Liathaven	The Feyerd
Farren Silver Streams	Navarr	Miaren
Gaeorg Brokenbough	Navarr	Miaren
George	Navarr	Miaren
Isa Shatterhorn	Navarr	Miaren
Reaghan Emberedgrove	Navarr	Miaren
Twyll Eternal	Navarr	Miaren
Kaan Shatterhorn	Navarr	Miaren	Shatterhorn Striding
Karrow Strangers Song	Navarr	Miaren	The Thornborn of Entwined Paths
Lanius	Urizen	Morrow	The Crystal Spire
Telemachus	Urizen	Redoubt	The Crystal Spire
Habalast	Urizen	Redoubt	Urizen, Whole
Vespasian of Invidia	Urizen	Redoubt	Urizen, Whole
Otto Blythe	The League	Sarvos	Carta di Vergo
Marcus Derivian di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	Liberta Rossa
Esteban i Ezmara i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura
Aracelis I Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura	Flames of the Coast
Damian Thorne	Dawn	Semmerholm	House De Minos
Arthur Cordraco	Dawn	Semmerholm	House Loreal
Gerald Thorne	Dawn	Semmerholm	House Wolfborne
Alienor Guerisseuse	Dawn	Semmerholm	House de Carsenere
Ruse	Dawn	Semmerholm	Myriad
BloodBilge Ziek	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	BloodBilge
Anomar Broken Spire	Urizen	Spiral
Varrock	Urizen	Spiral	The Crystal Spire
Ancon	Dawn	The Barrens
Bertrand	Dawn	The Barrens	House Torawyr
Guillaume	Dawn	The Barrens	House Vexille
illantris	Dawn	The Barrens	House Wolfborne
Leon	Dawn	The Barrens	House de Carsenere
Dafydd Steelford	Navarr	Therunin
Eleri Bronwen's Rest	Navarr	Therunin
J'zarr	Navarr	Therunin
Swilach	Navarr	Therunin	Feathers Rest
Geraint Broad-Backed	Navarr	Therunin	Open Skies
Rodric Worldscribe	Navarr	Therunin	Open Skies
Cybi Farkas	Navarr	Therunin	Ruis Farkas
Gwill Fenwarden	Navarr	Therunin	The Companions of Tarw
Dillion Longest Path	Navarr	Therunin	The Longest Path
Travid Longest Path	Navarr	Therunin	The Longest Path
Karcharoth	Navarr	Therunin	The White Foxes
Andred Rion	Dawn	Weirwater
Jasper Hunter scion De Beaumont	Dawn	Weirwater
Perryn Forthwright	Dawn	Weirwater
Ren Tanner	Dawn	Weirwater
Nineve	Dawn	Weirwater	House Orzel
Lady Claudia Varkulova Remys	Dawn	Weirwater	House Remys
Lord Armand Remys	Dawn	Weirwater	House Remys
Logan Tallstag	Dawn	Weirwater	House Tallstag
Tierian Spirits	Dawn	Weirwater	House Tallstag
Lady Serenity Renard	Dawn	Weirwater	House de Loup
Élodie Harper	Dawn	Weirwater	Order of the Golden Heart

So then. The third season of war in the tangled depths of the largest and most dangerous of the vallorns that touch the Empire. Brocéliande seethes with murderous intent. Vallornspawn husk and ettercap; the miasma that shortens life and then quickens it again in the most malignant manner; the hundred twisted shapes of the plants that spawn and prosper beneath the vallorn's shadow; the heralds of Spring and the heirs of Terunael. A host of foes, any one of which could lay the defenders of the eastern forest to ruin.

Just shy of a hundred imperial heroes and their warbands come to the aid of the people of Brocéliande. Not all those warbands are natural; as before there is a smattering of supernatural soldiers fighting under the trees. Peculiar knights of living shadow, raised from the weakened forests, armed and armoured against the horror of the vallorn. Some have been fighting here almost solidly since the crisis began; they are tired and drained but still refuse to back down in the face of the destruction that their enemy represents.

As before, though, those who fight to protect the steadings of Brocéliande are not short of allies. The troubadours of Dawn still sing the praises of any questing knight or knight-errant who comes to Brocéliande seeking glory. The priests of Highguard continue to offer their aid in the form of pilgrims, guardians, and much-needed supplies. The sinister Poena of the Soft Voice, a powerful baroness of the Winter realm, guides the barons, and thralls, and bone-armoured knights sent by the King on the Bitter Throne to fight alongside his mortal "allies" even as their sovereign-lord sates his endless hunger on the herb gardens and forests of Navarr.

Furthermore, during the Spring Equinox, brave bands of Imperial heroes were able to use the Sentinel Gate to reach Brocéliande and strike decisive blows against the forces there - somewhat weakening the spread of the vallorn and buying valuable time for defenders to respond to the threats posed this season. Thanks to their courage, the wayhouse at Darkening Boughs has been transformed into a fortified sanctuary providing respite to those traveling through the vallorn, and the herald of the North Weaver Wood has been destroyed, preventing it from strengthening the terrible vallornspawn attacking Boar's Dell.

There are new allies as well. The call has gone out to the Spears of the Pine - the warriors of the Great Forest Orcs - and they have come to Brocéliande to fight alongside their friends. Perhaps as many as a thousand orcs come to oppose the vallorn. Some of their number are actually natives of Brocéliande - born and raised in Boar's Dell before their people returned to the Barrens in the wake of its fleeting liberation from the Druj. They possess a keen urge to look upon the northern lands that were home to themselves and their ancestors. Even those who have not been to Brocéliande before treat the place with reverence; it is an old forest after all. While much of it was formed in the wake of the fall of Terunael, there are places, particularly in the east, where the trees are as old as the Forest of Peytaht. Some of the orcs are particularly interested in visiting these places, but weep when they see the chaos that the vallorn has made of them.

Shortly after the Spring Equinox, the largest group of allies to date arrives to fight to protect the Navarr. The Citadel Guard, the great army of Urizen, fresh from battle against the Druj in Morrow bring the light they embody to the darkness beneath the spreading boughs of Brocéliande. They stand ready to defend Elerael, freeing up other defenders to concentrate on protecting Boar's Dell. Yet even this army of sentinels and battle-magicians is not enough to hold the vallorn back by themselves - they still need allies if they are to preserve the sanctity of the region. Those allies come in the form of the dead - the shambling unliving corpses raised from those who fell in Morrow. A mixture of human and orc corpses given unnatural, haunted life by dark Winter magic, the husks fight the spawn of the vallorn at the behest of their Urizen masters.

While they fight bravely against the horrors of the vallorn, they are also making magical preparations of their own - shoring up their reserves of mana crystals and seeking out nearby sources of magic. There is a great deal of fascination with the vallorn and its peculiar magics. There is little time for experimentation, or arcane theory, but the Citadel Guard are able to uncover some fascinating details.

First, they notice that something is sapping the strength of their husks. Any that venture into areas of vallorn miasma are quickly destroyed - rotting away to nothing in a matter of minutes or hours. It seems that the Winter magic that binds hungry spirits to the rotting flesh and also preserves the meat against natural decay is not a match for the power of the vallorn. Only a handful are lost this way, but the Urizen are confident that had they been fighting in the vallorn proper then the murderous husks that fight alongside them would have proved to be useless.

Second, they are intrigued to discover no sign of any wide-ranging Spring magic in Brocéliande. No Rivers of Life, and certainly no Rivers Run Red. While they cannot rule out the possibility that such curses were used to help spark the current expansionist urge in the vallorn there is no sign that the magic continues or is any part of what is happening. In a way, perhaps, this makes sense. If the goal of those urging the vallorn to expand is to destroy Elerael and Boar's Dell, and to drive the Navarr out of Brocéliande, it would make little sense to also provide healing energies that helped their victims to stay alive.

Finally, they confirm what has long been suspected. There is a great deal of Spring vis to be claimed in those places tainted by the vallorn, if one knows where to look.

Even with all the aid they have received, even with their efforts during the Spring Equinox, it is still close. The defenders hold easily during the first month; in the second they begin to grow tired; and by the time of the Summer Solstice their reserves are truly taxed. The strength of the vallorn is still increasing, still gathering momentum. The vates who have predicted that the worst is yet to come are proved right once again. If they are entirely right, however, this will be the last time. The wave of the vallorn will crest, and if it can be resisted until the start of the Autumn Equinox, will finally break.

If it can be resisted...

Game Information : Brocéliande

The vallorn has been held back in Brocéliande. As mentioned in the earlier wind of fortune, any Dawnish character who supported the Slow the Vallorn action receives additional rewards representing the support of the noble houses and villages of Astolat and Semmerholm for those champions of Dawn who face the dangers of Brocéliande. Likewise, the recent Highborn mandate has provided significant support to the defence of Brocéliande, in the form of additional warriors and support. That boon is not without its own drawbacks; the penalties to congregations will persist for one season after the benefits end.

Tharim continues to feast on the forests and herb gardens of Hercynia, Therunin, and Miaren; each such resource loses a rank of production for the next year, but the Eternal will continue to provide support in Brocéliande for that whole time as long as he has amity of course. Finally, the Great Forest orcs warriors have arrived in Brocéliande, and will continue to provide their support to the defence of the territory as long as their people in Therunin remain safe.

The vallorn of Brocéliande has not finished with the Navarr yet, however. You can learn about the escalating threat in the Winds of Fortune.

They had hunted high and low, but winter had come early.

Destroying Angels

The Towerjacks and the Wolves of War gather beneath the boughs of Longshire and Grey Charge. They are hosted by the chapters of Reikos, guests of the newly-rebuilt chapterhouses. Their leaders meet with the commanders of Remember Exile to coordinate their campaign against the eternal Llofir whose garden occupies all of Tamarbode.

The Wolves of War are supported by more than thirty warbands belonging to independant captains - more than half of whom are Highborn soldiers eager to remove Llofir from Reikos. The potent enchantment woven over the Wolves of War ensures that these disparate champions will work together effectively in the battles to come. They are also joined by a dozen League siege engineers - some seconded form the Towerjacks but most hired from the university of Holberg for the mission into Tamarbode.

The Towerjacks have brought with them numerous supplies for building siege engines, but they have not actually begun to construct them. Dragging towers, catapults, and mangonels through the dense vegetation of Tamarbode makes little sense - and for that matter it would be dangerous to assume that Llofir's living stronghold would act the same as the redoubts of wood and stone they have encountered before.

Tamarbode, like Grey Charge and Longshire, is heavily forested - but there the similarities end. While most of the trees are notionally the same age as those in the rest of Reikos - restored by the Spring magic unleashed across the territory to heal the scars left by the Stone Toad orcs - those in Tamarbode are significantly larger. Some are recognisable as oaks or sycamore, but others are entirely unfamiliar with strangely-shaped leaves and peculiar fruit. Fruit that no sensible citizen of the Empire considers eating no matter how succulent it may appear.

Soldiers of the Towerjacks. We have a chance to get out our siege towers, prepare our catapults and fight in the way we are trained for. Let's storm the walls.

Natalia ''The Falcon'' Barossa, General of the Towerjacks

Everything is overgrown with a profusion of fungus, spreading ferns, hanging moss, spreading lichen. and less identifiable forms of life. Great mushrooms stand two or three times as tall as a human, with broad caps and oddly radiating flukes beneath. Some are flat like tables, others tall and fluted, still others almost spherical. They exist in a mad profusion of colours - the greenery of a healthy forest is overrun with rust red, amber yellow, vivid scarlet, pastel blue, bone white, coal black, and even stranger shades. The air itself is thick with the spores produced by the fungus and the ferns - although these spores seem not to press much beyond the edge of the region, as if turned back at the borders.

The thick vegetation (for want of a better world) makes progress slow. The vanguard are forced as often as not to chop their way through tangled vines, briars, mushrooms, clinging creepers, sticky fronds and more esoteric plant-life to make even a little progress. The entire time they hack and slash, they are breathing in the spores of Llofir's garden. The first fatalities are those who experience a profound reaction to the spores. Rashes spread quickly across skin that becomes so red and sensitive it ruptures; eyes swell closed; noses stream with thick mucus and the victims are wracked with hacking coughs as their bodies desperately try to clear airways rapidly closing over. Only a comparative handful of humans experience reactions this severe - and the symptoms are quickly identified by doctors - but those who do suffer painful deaths choking, clawing at their throats and faces, desperate to breathe.

We owe the highborn a reckoning and they have called for our aid. The Eternal Llofir holds tamarbode and it is constant wound to their Pride. Ready your siege weapons to impale the great beasts and smash its defences, because we match to make the lands and pride of our friends whole.

Gabriel Barossa, General of the Wolves of War

Everyone, without exception, is forced to cover their nose and mouth with thick cloths, and keep them moist. Water supplies dwindle quickly. Even those who do not suffer a fatal reaction to the air find it difficult to breathe for long periods of time. In some places the spores and tiny seeds are thick enough to obscure sight. Only those briars in the Imperial armies are able to move through Llofir's garden without difficulty - nobody touched by the magic of Spring experiences a negative reaction to the air. This causes some of their companions to eye them suspiciously, and there are... whispers... about briar soldiers. It does not help that some of them report hearing odd noises that seem inaudible to their companions - whispering voices, indescribable music, and in some cases a low and insistent call to abandon their comrades and simply explore the wonders of Llofir's garden. It is impossible to say if this is some malign influence, or simply a side-effect of being in a place so profoundly imbued with Spring magic.

The Garden is even stranger at night; a great many of the fungi that grow throughout the forest glow in the dark in a profusion of different shades. Most provide a low, steady effulgence but a few pulse brighter and dimmer as if in response to some rhythm the human soldiers are unable to perceive. At night, the more sensitive among the soldiers experience peculiar dreams full of surreal and disturbing imagery that they cannot quite put into words when they awaken, but which leave them pale and withdrawn for hours after they rise.

Worse than all of this is that any wound suffered in Lofir's garden is an invitation for something to take root. The Towerjacks in particular are familiar with the malign Spring curses favoured by the Druj that taint the water and spread sickness and disease but they are a pale shadow of the rot that spreads through Llofir's garden. Any break in the skin is enough; unless it is immediately tended to the wound becomes packed with spores and parasitic growth that spreads quickly through the body with fatal consequences. Physics and magician-healers are taxed to the point of exhaustion dealing with the repercussions of even the easiest engagement in the approach to the castle at the heart of Tamarbode.

There have been visitors to Tamarbode since Llofir took residence before. They have spoken of dangerous vegetation, but it seems that in the months since Llofir closed the borders it has bred or unleashed entirely new threats. For example, some of the "plants" secrete juices that sear flesh like acid. The worst are perhaps the delicate fronds of a certain pale and rugose thing that combines elements of fern and anemone. The tendrils drift and sway with the slightest breeze, but when they touch living flesh they wrap around it, the burning caustic sap eating away exposed skin, wool. cotton, and leather down to the bone. The only answer to this particular danger is heavy iron gauntlets - to tear the frond away and hope that it does not take great swathes of the victim's skin with it. Then fire can be brought to bear - but here as with many of the other threats of Tamarbode fire is a two-edged sword. While the bone-white anemone burns eaasily enough, the smoke it gives off burns the throat, eyes, and lungs as easily as the vitriolic fronds burn the flesh.

The acid anemone is only one example of the dangers of Llofir's garden, and while many of the threats are sessile plants that can be avoided there are terrible creatures in Tamarbode that actively hunt soldiers. Some of the first encountered are ambulatory mushrooms - perhaps even heralds of Llofir - that seem to cluster together. The first kind are rose-pink puffballs about the size of a large dog, with tiny stumpy legs, that react strongly to movement. Approaching or passing by one of these creatures causes it to begin a terrible howling wail, quite out of proportion with its size, that alerts everything within half a mile to the location of intruders. Worse, the creature releases puffs of spores that make it impossible to concentrate. This would be bad enough, but their howling dirge invariably attracts a species of taller mushroom-creature with a distinctive bluish caste. Much more swift in their movements, they flail around themselves with agonising whip-like fronds that carry a supernatural disease which causes flesh to rot and slough off. Unable to penetrate metal armour, they nonetheless seem adept at striking at the least defended parts of their victim, at the joints and at areas of exposed padding. Leather and wool are no protection from their touch, allowing them to cripple limbs and in some cases - especially when facing magicians of skirmishers - cause fatal injuries that leave the victim unable to do anything but scream as the azure guardians rip them apart with their whipping limbs.

Heralds of Llofir are encountered in abundance, of course, but they are not the pleasant little toadstool-imps, or even the shambling humanoid courtiers that have been seen before by Imperial magicians. Instead, they are replaced with horrific amalgams of plant and animal matter, often held within thick shells of hard, spined wood. They fight with terrible tearing claws, emerging without warning from the dense undergrowth to assail interlopers with little care for their own safety. They come from nowhere, attack, and then melt back into the garden - but dangerous as they are they are the least of the eternals children. Much more deadly are the great beasts, larger than oxen, that erupt from the toxic jungle slaughtering everyone that comes within reach.

Awful as the larger creatures are, it is a certain species of smaller beast that the League soldiers particularly come to loathe. Barely larger than a sheep, these hunched horrors scuttle towards intruders with gleeful disregard for danger, flailing delicate feathered antennae whose touch causes dead organic material to rot, and makes metal rust and fall apart. They target the weapons of their opponents, quickly moving on when their prey is defenceless... leaving them at the mercy of the deadly inhabitants of Llofir's garden. While mending spells and Artisan's Oil can reverse the devastatingly gentle touches of the scuttling creatures, doing so strains the resources of the Imperial forces - and the creatures must be kept away from the raw materials carried by the League siege engineers at all costs.

Eventually, however, the two League armies make it to the heart of Tamarbode, to the centre of Llofir's garden, to the Castle of Ruin. It lies a short distance from the "feet" of the great Sign of Tamar, and according to the Highborn guardians who fight alongside the League armies, it surrounds a potent Spring regio, once claimed by the old Druj warlock Greenmask.

The horrors of the proceeding weeks have gone some way toward preparing the Imperial forces for the Castle, but it is still difficult to truly comprehend its size and strangeness. Rather than being made of cold stone or dead wood, the Castle of Ruin is composed entirely of living fungus. There are no hard edges or sharp corners; the entire thing is disturbingly organic. It is something that has grown, not something that has been built. Great fluting towers reach several hundred feet into the sky, piercing heavy clouds composed entirely of fungal spores that drift and churn above the Castle moving on incomprehensible currents.

The siege engineers accompanying the League armies set to work to build ladders, towers, rams, and other devices of their trade so that they may storm the walls. At once, they discover that they are in a race against time. The Garden of Llofir, particularly this close to the Castle of Ruin, is actively hostile to their construction work. They must work in shifts to complete their endeavour, or see their engines fall apart under the corrosive touch of Spring magic before they are even completed.

They are the equal of the task, however, and within a week armoured towers rise above the fungal forest. Even as the mold and rust takes hold, catapults launch great rocks and barrels of burning pitch against the walls of the Castle of Ruin. Two great rams are positioned to attack weak points in the walls - for there seem to be no actual gates into the Castle that anyone can identify. The League and Highborn soldiers split into groups, each one charged with capturing or destroying a key part of the castle, and the assault begins.

The fighting is chaotic, confused, verging on madness. Parts of the castle separate from the walls or floors, becoming mobile creatures in their own right, launching unexpected ambushes against the weakest parts of the attacking forces. The size and scope of the fortification alone would make capturing it a daunting prospect. Yet it seems that not only is the castle a living thing, it is one that is capable of some level of thought and even limited movement. Where a mundane castle might be protected by siege weapons or ballistae, the Castle of Ruin grows poisoned fronds that whip and tear at any who get too close, or explosive puffballs that spew deadly spores at those who accidentally encounter them. And of course, now the Empire has reached it's prize, it seems like every single beast at Llofir's disposal is drawn towards them to protect the heart of the Rotlord's realm.

Yet for all its savagery, the Castle of Ruin cannot hold against the ingenuity of the League, and the tenacity of the Highborn. Inch by inch they press forward, burning and shattering area after area, penetrating the rings of defence until the heart of the castle is laid bare.

At its very centre, within a great tumbledown keep of pulsing luminescent mushrooms and vines, is a single immense mushroom. Atop a twenty-foot stalk, so wide it would take three people to circle it, spreads a snow-white cap with a soft pink underside. Long curling tendrils descend from the cap, twitching and writhing as the Imperial soldiers cautiously approach. It glows with a pale luminesence that proves dangerous to look upon; those who stare at the mushroom for too long become entranced, then enervated, then incapable of doing anything save sitting or lying down and waiting for death to claim them - at least until they are removed from the area.

The magicians who have made it this far confirm that the mushroom encompasses the heart of the Spring regio... or perhaps that it is the Spring regio in some strange fashion. There is a hurried discussion, while battle still rages in other parts of the Castle. The last three barrels of pitch are brought to bear, and on the signal hurled against the mushroom and ignited. Fire immediately roars up the trunk, immolating the thing, which begins to give off an unholy high pitched shrieking as it flails its tendrils - which serve to spread the fire even wider.

There is a terrible feeling of pressure, and a moment of indescribably stillness, and then...

Then the Castle of Ruin begins to collapse. No - collapse is too soft a word for it. The castle begins to dissolve, falling in on itself, breaking apart, exploding into motes of drifting light and clouds of spores. What begins as an orderly retreat soon becomes a rout as the Castle of Ruin tears itself apart.

At the same time the humans are running away from the heart of the Castle, the heralds and beasts of Llofir are running towards it as if drawn by some clarion call only they can hear. They ignore the mortals, save for a few unlucky individuals who are too slow to get out of the way of a trampling behemoth.

Outside the walls, that same dissolution is spreading. Everything is falling apart, dissolving into choking clouds of pink, and white, and grey. Swirling up into the sky. The good news is that despite the destruction, it proves significantly easier to move away from the ruined castle that it was to approach it. The leading edge of the dissolution rapidly outpaces the retreating troops yet some of the Highborn begin to panic. What if this great storm of dissolution spreads across Reikos? Is Llofir planning to undo the restoration work that removed the taint of the Druj from their home? Is it planning to unleash some horrific curse against the Highborn people, against their unsuspecting countryfolk?

Almost precisely an hour after the heart of the Castle of Ruin was set aflame, there is another moment of stillness. An immense great lazily spinning cloud hangs over the place where the castle once stood. It's as if the whole world is holding its breath.

And then a moment later, the spores funnel downward toward the heart of what was once Llofir's Garden. And in less than ten minutes, they are gone. All of them.

A moment after that it begins to rain. Pure, cold water that washes away the last lingering vestiges of Llofir's presence.

Over the next few weeks, the unconquered of Remember Exile, and the League scouts, explore Tamarbode. There is almost no sign that Llofir was ever here, beyond a slightly higher number of mushrooms and toadstools. There are still trees, and many of them are still bearded with moss and lichen, but while they are larger and more ancient-looking than they have any right to be, they seem to be natural trees nonetheless. Birdsong is heard in Tamarbode for the first time in several years, and animals begin to migrate into Tamarbode from the neighbouring regions.

Not everything is the same. The Sign of Tamar is still present, albeit heavily overgrown with undergrowth and new trees. If nature is left to take its course, the earthwork will effectively be destroyed by the plants that have taken root on it. Yet the powerful Spring regio that served as the heart of Llofir's Castle of Ruin there is no sign. Magicians pore over the place where it once stood, which is now simply a nondescript glade of trees without the slightest hint of any magic. Whatever powerful magical site was once there, that drew first a crazed Druj ghulai and later an eternal, is gone for good.

It is not the only magical site that appears to have been consumed in some fashion. Tamar's Toes is likewise no more - and over the next several weeks it becomes clear that there are no mana sites anywhere in Tamarbode. The flows of mana have been significantly disrupted by the destruction of the Garden of Llofir it seems - but even that chaos is beginning to settle down again. The magicians who explore the new woodlands tentatively suggest that new mana sites will form soon enough.

It could have been very different; there is speculation about why Llofir did not strike out at Reikos once it was clear its Garden was going to be destroyed. Perhaps it was unable to do so, thanks to the enmity of the Imperial Conclave, Or perhaps it simply chose not to - the choices of eternals are often inscrutable to mortals.

All in all, it is as if Llofir was never here, as if its presence were just a dream from which the people of Reikos are now awakening.

Game Information : Reikos

The region of Tamarbode has been liberated by Imperial troops and is now part of the Empire again. A major contributing factor to the victory here was the presence of Remember Exile - the fortification in Broken Ride. Without the aid of the Highborn garrison in fighting through Llofir's Garden, the League armies would still be engaged in the conquest of Tamarbode.

All sign of the eternal Llofir, its Garden, and its fortification have gone. The region now has the forested and Springtouched qualities. The unique Spring regio that once stood near the Sign of Tamar is gone, and the mana site known as Tamar's Toes has been destroyed. The earthworks know as the Sign of Tamar is slowly being reclaimed by the forest; without intervention from human hands it will effectively have been erased by the start of the Winter Solstice.

Participation : Reikos

Any character whose military unit was assigned to support one of the two League armies, or the fortification of Remember Exile, will be experiencing the lingering effects of exposure to the Garden of Llofir. There will be a slip in your pack which will detail the effect. As part of the lingering effects you may wish to phys-rep a "tainted wound" - an injury that has been touched by Spring magic such as a patch of moss growing on your arm, or an eye that has been damaged in some way by exposure to the Garden.

If you are a human whose military unit was assigned to support one of the two League armies or the fortification of Remember Exile, you may choose to roleplay have suffered a severe life-threatening injury which was healed with ritual magic... but left you with the touch of the briar lineage. If you wish to take this option you should e-mail admin@profounddecisions.co.uk with your CID so we can update your character. You may not take this option if you already possess a different lineage - it is available only to "pure" humans. If you are already a briar you may choose to strengthen your lineage by increasing your physical trappings due to exposure to the Garden.

The generals of the Towerjacks and the general of the Wolves of War may choose to take advantage of either of these opportunities. If they wish to be under the lingering effects of the Garden, they should e-mail plot@profounddecisions.co.uk to let us know.

As always these opportunities are only available to players who meet the criteria - please do not e-mail in to ask if you can have the effect if your military unit was not actively involved in Tamarbode this downtime.

Oh I confess I've lost control, I let my guard down, I let the truth out.

Control

While the Grendel armada seems focused on the conquest of Feroz, the orc pirates of Attar seem to still be committed to their raids against Imperial trading ships. The recent raids on Dubhtraig and Mareave have enraged the Salt Lords however. All the reports confirm that they are offering significant bounties for every Imperial vessel captured or sunk. The Grendel control of the Bay of Catazar may not be as complete as once it was, but it cannot be denied that the Empire has struggled to prevent them from having a significant impact on merchant ships based along the southern coasts. Still... in their overconfidence they seem to have become a little overextended. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, they seem to have an arrogant certainty that they are still the masters of the sea - despite of two crushing raids against their coast. They continue to assume that while the Empire has the advantage on land, they control the seas.

This season, the Empire resolves to teach them a hard lesson; that they are no longer uncontested masters of the Bay of Catazaar.

Most of the coordination of the Imperial fleets took place at Anvil. With the attack agreed, most individual captains simply gather in ports across the Bay, find other captains they can work with, and put to sea. Ships from every Imperial nation are represented; the largest single contribution comes from the Brass Coast unsurprisingly, but there are also sizable contingents of vessels from Highguard, Navarr, and the League.

Citizen	Nation	Territory	Banner
Adan i DelToro i Riqueza	The Brass Coast		DelToro
Jeziah i Radah	The Brass Coast		House i Souza i Guerra
Oria i Shartha i Riqueza	The Brass Coast		The New Promise Cartel
Captain Beocca	Dawn	Astolat
Elaine Bard	Dawn	Astolat
Emberlyn Brontide	Dawn	Astolat	Phoenix Knights of Asolat
Varro Aeleris	Highguard	Bastion	Jachin's Legacy
Rinnah	Highguard	Bastion	Shattered Tower Banner
Bjorn of North Fens	The Marches	Bregasland
Misha Kemi	The Marches	Bregasland	Order of the Forgotten Word
Philip of Ottery	The Marches	Bregasland	Otterwatch
Myrkva	The Marches	Bregasland	The Copperhill Monastery Estate
Elidor	Navarr	Broceliande
Sianu	Navarr	Broceliande
Xandra i Marusa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Broceliande
Baal	Highguard	Casinea	Felix's Watch Banner
Lucan	Highguard	Casinea	Storm's Fury
Izaro i Kemen i erigro	The Brass Coast	Feroz
Karg I Estrico I Erigo	The Brass Coast	Feroz
Miguel i Angel i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz
Victarion I Vagos I Guerra	The Brass Coast	Feroz
Zorion i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Feroz
japhar	The Brass Coast	Feroz
Madia i Mestiere i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Feroz	Flame of Anduz
Ana i Taziel i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Carmen i Taziel	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Demetrio Taziel i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Mae	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Octavia	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Scevola i Taziel	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Tancred Enrico i Taziel i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House Taziel
Naia	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House i Souza i Guerra
Ramos i Kemen i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Feroz	House i Souza i Guerra
Mont i Sawa i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Feroz	Krakenfire Armada
Rafaela i Simar i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The Crew of the Splendid Albatross
Adoria	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The Ezmaran Key to Prosperity
Azzam i Zaydan i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Bayan Zayden Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Chiara Zayden Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Ibbie Zayden Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Joaquin i Shartha i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Karlos Shartha Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Marcelino i Zaydan i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Sagremar i Zayden	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The New Promise Cartel
Bastiana i Fontanilla i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The Tempest Flame
Teodoro i Suero	The Brass Coast	Feroz	The Tempest Flame
Winro Aare	Wintermark	Hahnmark
Devlin Qway	Wintermark	Hahnmark	Crescent Tide
Nax	Wintermark	Hahnmark	Crescent Tide
Inar Dunning the Blacksmith	Wintermark	Hahnmark	Dunhearth Hall
Sigvald	Wintermark	Hahnmark	The Embers of Ashenhall
Cedric Gallows	Navarr	Hercynia
Bleddyn Eternal	Navarr	Hercynia	Narmada
Cormac	Navarr	Hercynia	Ruis Farkas
Victor van Holberg	The League	Holberg
Randolf Wolski	The League	Holberg	The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower
Sadiq Isa	The Brass Coast	Kahraman
Iñez i Azul-Mar i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Kahraman	Bloodgold Jackals
Amarie Elidor	The Brass Coast	Kahraman	House i Souza i Guerra
Fennir of Brackenbeak Hall	Wintermark	Kallavesa
Gis Tahvosson	Wintermark	Kallavesa
Osmo Runeharth	Wintermark	Kallavesa
Reinhold	Wintermark	Kallavesa
Manni Oswisonn	Wintermark	Kallavesa	The Aesclings
Janov Abramovich Tartakovsky	The Brass Coast	Karov
Pavel Novak	Varushka	Karov	Wulfen Reavers
Triska	Varushka	Karov	Wulfen Reavers
Nikolai dravi	Navarr	Liathaven	Narmada
Aurélio i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Basil i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Beatriz i Santoro i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Coira	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Eduardo i Otoño i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Elon i Kalamar i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Emiliano i Marusa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Idylla I Orianza I Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Ieri i Kalamar i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Jam	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Juuzou i Radah i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Rafael i Marusa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Safya i Kalamar i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Umbar i Radah i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Xavier i Marusa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Xiomara i Marusa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga
Aurelio i Sarado i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Bloodgold Jackals
Elian i Carilla i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Bloodgold Jackals
Datlan	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Family Zabala
Sibylla	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Family Zabala
Talmez i Fijadoz i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Fijadoz Family
Artesanos i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Flames of the Coast
Ba'ken i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Flames of the Coast
Roque I Orianza I	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House Orianza
Trystane I Orianza I Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House Orianza
Delmara i Ruiloba i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House Taziel
Edgardo i Ruiloba i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House Taziel
Estana I Mestiere I Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House i Souza i Guerra
Kaneki I Mestiere I Guerra	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House i Souza i Guerra
Razin'Jeb i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House i Souza i Guerra
Vrael i Sol-Devorador i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	House i Souza i Guerra
Florina i Sol-Devorador i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Krakenfire Armada
Lilith	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Krakenfire Armada
Husif i Azuro i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Blue Flames
Carlos i Del'Toro i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Ezmaran Key to Prosperity
Jo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Ezmaran Key to Prosperity
Anselmo i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Beatriz i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Bonita i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Dilis i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Ezro i Alvera i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Feliciana i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Miguel i Valiente i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Madruga	The Tempest Flame
Limpiar I kemen I Guerra I Zemress	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Tides of Zemress
Ambroos Antoon Broken-Bough	Navarr	Miaren
Conrad Barston	Navarr	Miaren
Corrin Ashwood	Navarr	Miaren
Ioan Eternal	Navarr	Miaren	Narmada
Llewellyn Leafstalker	Navarr	Miaren	Narmada
Rhys Nighthaven	Navarr	Miaren	Narmada
keyan	Navarr	Miaren	Narmada
Darius Tanglehorn	Navarr	Miaren	Tanglehorn
Deaucalion Emrys	Navarr	Miaren	Torn Asunder
nyrah	Navarr	Miaren	Torn Asunder
Radomir Dobromilovich Straskovich	Varushka	Miekarova	Vor'Azi Wardens
Henry Bywater	The Marches	Mitwold	The Wickermen
Quay Stone	The Marches	Mournwold	House Stone
Bronimir Kazyn Jarek	Highguard	Necropolis
Dubidai	Highguard	Necropolis
Miralut Jarek	Highguard	Necropolis
Yorden	Highguard	Necropolis
Caleb	Highguard	Necropolis	Banner of the Cenotaph
Aelric	Highguard	Necropolis	Saker Chapter
Algar	Highguard	Necropolis	Saker Chapter
Drothdir	Highguard	Necropolis	Saker Chapter
Kapik	Highguard	Necropolis	Saker Chapter
Oswi Twice-Burned	Highguard	Necropolis	Saker Chapter
Lazarus	Highguard	Necropolis	Shattered Tower Banner
River	Highguard	Necropolis	Shattered Tower Banner
Adoraim	Highguard	Necropolis	The Raven's Watch
Constantina	Urizen	Redoubt
Marcus	Urizen	Redoubt
Natalus	Urizen	Redoubt
Octavious	Urizen	Redoubt
Tzimisas of Star Fury Spire	Urizen	Redoubt
Creed	Highguard	Reikos
Issachar	Highguard	Reikos	The Unbound Chapter
Jean	The League	Sarvos
Lorelan Thoress	The League	Sarvos
Richardo Glostari di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos
Silambe Whiteflame	The League	Sarvos
Concordio Barcaiolo di sarvos	The League	Sarvos	Carta Bellamarina
Achille di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	League Merchant Marine
Ertsio Audita De Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	League Merchant Marine
Lucius VanAuldressanth di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	Liberta Rossa
Brewer van temeschwar	The League	Sarvos	The Giants Of Sarvos
Grimandi Vascello di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	The Giants Of Sarvos
Leandro di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	The Giants Of Sarvos
Serena Flavia Beatriz di Foracci della Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	The Giants Of Sarvos
Ventura Notturno Di Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	The Giants Of Sarvos
David, Jademist, Guerra	The Brass Coast	Segura
Esteban I Del Rio Blanco I Guerra	The Brass Coast	Segura
Squid i Bard i Guerra	The Brass Coast	Segura
Yentaro i Zabala i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura
Elena i Zabala i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura	Family Zabala
Yasmeen i Zabala i Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura	Family Zabala
Qayid Daker	The Brass Coast	Segura	House i Souza i Guerra
Samu i Zemress	The Brass Coast	Segura	House i Souza i Guerra
Sagua i'Ezmara i'Murit i'Erigo	The Brass Coast	Segura	The Ezmaran Key to Prosperity
Azir i Sharfa i Riqueza	The Brass Coast	Segura	The New Promise Cartel
Esme Sailmaker	Dawn	Semmerholm	The Reavers of House Dromond
Cerun Arteus	Wintermark	Sermersuaq
Orca	Wintermark	Sermersuaq
Vannuq Dunning	Wintermark	Sermersuaq	Dunhearth Hall
Vana	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	Ashborn
Urq	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	Legion Protectorate
Dredge	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	Stormcrow
Thalia	Urizen	Spiral	Banner of the Phoenix
Danica Lidija van Temeschwar	The League	Tassato	The Blacktail Kings (King Company)
Lucky Flint	The League	Temeschwar	Crimson Reaper Cartel
Captain Markus DeVere	The League	Temeschwar	Holsburger Haudegen
Artemisia de Caravaggio von Temeschwar	The League	Temeschwar	The Sea Wolves
Giustiniano Del Giorno	The League	Temeschwar	The Sea Wolves
Aisling Feather	Navarr	Therunin	Dancing Leaf
Wesley “Talon” Fingal	Navarr	Therunin	Dancing Leaf
Owain Farkas	Navarr	Therunin	In the Navvari
face	Navarr	Therunin	Narmada
Oda Farkas	Navarr	Therunin	Ruis Farkas
Vaan	Navarr	Therunin	Two Feet
Ebenezer	The Marches	Upwold	The Applewood Levy
Jagoda Petnova Sulich	Varushka	Volodmartz	The Oxen Head
Raingrim	Dawn	Weirwater	House Du Soleil
Electra Naximos	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Akeros Stathmi Tonerou	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Caprica Naximos	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Sagita Fotiátóxo	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Kávouras	Axos	Towers of Kantor</td	Níkisti Thálassa
Távros Pétrino Kefáli	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Zygos Osofós	Axos	Towers of Kantor	Níkisti Thálassa
Skorpiós Sfagí	Axos	Chambers of Issyk	Níkisti Thálassa
Kóri Sfagí	Axos	Chambers of Issyk	Níkisti Thálassa
Dione Piscatos	Axos	Halls of Maykop	Níkisti Thálassa
Leonis Dynatí Kardiá	Axos	Walls of Ipotavo	Níkisti Thálassa

Many of the ships' crews have been granted magical boons to help them in their task of hunting and destroying Grendel ships. The enchantments of Spring prove particularly popular - although this is not without its own concerns. Crews bearing the mark of Spring magic often experience a drive to act without consideration for the consequences, and some revel in the urge to take whatever they want. It is no surprise that ships whose crews feel particularly uninhibited about using violence against anyone who gets in their way are often encouraged to get themselves under sail as quickly as possible rather than hang around on the docks of Siroc, Sarvos, or Crown's Quay. Other captains have favoured the less violent but undeniably powerful enchantments of Summer. Infused with power, supported by the eternal Rhianos, these crews need no urging to set sail - they feel the draw of new vistas, the urge to explore places they have never seen before, the certainty that great things await them on the high seas if they are just brave enough to seek them out. There is a paradox at the heart of this enchantment - for all that it grants the crews who sail under it bottomless reserves of confidence, and bolsters their naval skills, it also bends the skein of fate so that their ships encounter more obstacles, greater threats... all more opportunities for adventure!

Regardless of whether they bear enchantments, the Imperial ships are united in a single cause; to hunt down Grendel ships and capture or destroy them by any means.

Given that the Grendel themselves are busy seeking out the fat merchant vessels of Imperial traders, some captains sensibly surmise that they should just shadow such vessels and simply wait for the orcs to turn up. Which they do, in large numbers. Expecting easy pickings or at worst a few escorting combat-ready vessels, easily overwhelmed, the Grendel pirates are taken completely by surprise when they encounter zealous warships itching for the chance to engage them in life-or-death combat. Worse - for the orcs - when they try to disengage the privateers simply abandon the merchant ships they are notionally escorting and give chase. Time and again across the Bay, Imperial escorts clash with Grendel pirates. Those that flee are run to ground; those that stand and fight are sunk or crippled and boarded. League and Marcher captains in particular favour this practical approach.

Some fleets actively hunt the privateers, attacking them when they feel safe. The Freeborn are true masters of this strategy, drawing on centuries of experience playing seagull-and-crab games with the Grendel from one end of the Bay to the other. Often, they are able to take the Grendel ships by surprise, crippling their sails or breaking their oars before they can fully react. Lone Grendel ships are particularly easy prey for the Freeborn corsairs. Over time the orcs learn, however, and begin clustering together into larger groups the better to fight off the Imperial ships hunting them across the waves. Unfortunately for the Grendel, this just makes it easier for the corsairs and their allies to find them.

A number of ships turn the Grendel tactics back on them. These vessels - a significant number of whom hail from Varushka and Navarr - hunt Grendel merchant ships rather than privateers. The orc trading vessels are built to transport cargo, not for speed or war. They are generally escorted by a couple of more martially suited ships but they often struggle to outrun Imperial warships. It is a challenge to identify the trade routes their ships prefer - they tend to avoid the broad western channel between the Iron Confederacy and Tathar meaning that captains who wish to prey on these rich ships must risk diving deep into Grendel-held waters on the eastern side of Attar.

More adventurous ship captains target the heavily guarded supply routes supporting the Grendel armada in Feroz. This is no endeavour for the faint-hearted. Rather than being made up solely of undisciplined orc privateers of the Broken Shore, the supply ships are generally guarded by serious Grendel warships crewed by as many hard-bitten, combat-ready marines as by simple sailors. Attacking such convoys requires plenty of organisation, preparation, planning - and ships. The Highborn and Urizen ships prove particularly adept at executing these raids; while they are able to claim few supplies directly almost half of the supply convoys on the Bay of Catazar this season are sent to the bottom. As the season draws on, the Grendel reinforce their convoys with naval vessels and the raids cease to be practical. Yet there is a cost to the Grendel - the need for stronger escorts means they must perforce cut the number of convoys significantly meaning that their naval forces on the other side of the Bay will find it much harder to resupply.

The most adventurous captains seek out opportunities to raid the actual towns and pirate coves along the Bay that the pirates call home. Ships belonging to Winterfolk, Dawnish, and Imperial Orc captains seem especially drawn to these risky attacks. Lightning raids across Ayereed and Shayeel culminate in an attack against the prosperous Grendel port of Gainmeachdubh under the very gaze of the powerful Salt Lord Azshur himself! Gainmeachdubh occupies a position part-way between Beoraidh and Dubhtraig in terms of size, but the citizens are much closer to the wild barbarians of the Broken Shore than the notionally civilised people of the late Salt Lord Suriad's old estates. The raid results in significant damage to the harbour, with over two dozen Grendel pirate ships being set aflame before they can even weigh anchor.

The Empire is not entirely alone in its endeavour. About a month after the Spring Equinox, a small fleet of black-sailed warships arrives at Crown's Quay, escorting a convoy of Axou merchant vessels. Several of the ships are clearly enchanted; swirling fog coils around the hulls of some, while ghostly figures drift and flit around the rigging of some of the others. Their crews report several run-ins with pirates, which they have won. Their leader is Kapetánios Electra Naximos of Kantor - a firey woman with curling ram's horns and an uncompromising manner - who speaks for a loose alliance of almost a dozen Axou captains. Here at the invitation of the Ambassador they are keen to participate in securing the Bay of Catazar and teaching the Grendel a definitive lesson. The ships stick together, ranging up and down the eastern coast of the Bay sinking Grendel ships wherever possible, occasionally joining up with Imperial ships to attack particularly well-defended targets.

While a major force of Imperial captains is united in their goal of dominating the bay, they never quite reach the critical mass that would allow them to attack the Temple of Tempest Jade or disrupt the bloody and brutal Rites of Spring. Indeed, in the final month before the Summer Solstice, it becomes significantly more dangerous to hunt Grendel pirates. The rites this year have by all accounts been especially bloody, and record numbers of orc ships now bear potent "blessings" of Spring magic. While some are identifiably enchanted with the same magic the Empire favours - a ritual similar to Blood and Salt - others bear more potent enchantments. Specifically, a number of orc captains appear to have been granted the favour of Siakha herself - great sea monsters accompany their ships as they begin to launch raids of their own against the Imperial fleet captains.

The Empire still has the upper hand - although it becomes increasingly necessary for independent captains to coordinate their actions for fear of being caught by a much larger force of Grendel ships. Luckily, the reliance of the pirates on Spring magic means that they find it even harder than usual to cooperate with each other or engage in complex planning - which proves to be a valuable advantage to the Empire.

Unfortunately, while the Broken Shore pirates embrace Spring magic, their Grendel overlords clearly favour much less chaotic enchantment. As the Summer Solstice draws closer, purple sailed Grendel warships often flying the colours of one Salt Lord or another begin to make coordinated sweeps along the southern and eastern coasts of the Bay. Rather than savage bloodletting or monstrous beasts, they bear signs of magic that helps them track enemy ships over great distances, or twists the skein of fate to allow them to come upon raiding vessels at just the worst possible time for the Empire.

That said... the Grendel cannot ignore the message they have been sent. Hundreds of their ships have been sunk, or crippled, or sent fleeing back to safe havens with their sails in tatters. Their safe havens have been exposed as being nowhere near as safe as they might have wished. They cannot fail to have learned that their control of the Bay is no longer uncontested, and that their attacks on Imperial trading ships will no longer be tolerated. Their invasion of the Brass Coast continues, but they must now weigh the difficulties of getting their supply convoys across the Bay in the face of Imperial opposition. Their piracy may continue, but the days when they could simply pick off the juciest prizes as they saw fit are over.

It's likely the Salt Lords are very angry with the Empire right now.

Game Information : Bay of Catazar

While the Empire gathered sufficient force to meet the 30,000 strength threshold, there was not sufficient support to reach the final tier and disrupt the Rites of Spring. Still, this represents a significant victory for the Empire over the Grendel; they have certainly made the Bay of Catazar a more dangerous environment for the Grendel orcs.

The penalties suffered by Imperial trading vessels operating from ports along the Bay of Catazar have been removed for the forseeable future. While the Grendel will still be a threat, they are significantly less confident in their approaches and will return to opportunistic attacks against trading ships rather than actively hunting them. The Grendel pirates will likely find some other way to cause trouble, but just as the earlier action caused them to lose interest in interfering with the fishing fleet, so they will turn their attention away from ships trading via the Bay of Catazar.

Raids against coastal settlements dominated by Grendel pirates, especially in Shayeel and Ayereed, have provided a bounty of 12 wains of mithril and 6 rings of ilium. These resources have been collected by the Imperial Fleet Master.

Imperial ships have inflicted significant damage on international trade undertaken by the Salt Lords, sinking, seizing, or crippling a number of trading vessels heading for Asavea, [{Sarcophan Delves|Sarcophan]], and the Jarm.

The threat to Grendel supply convoys means that for the next year Grendel navies will find it harder to resupply. The will only be able to benefit from natural or emergency resupply while in a territory they control. Furthermore, their rate of natural resupply when they are in their own territories will be halved.

Participation : Bay of Catazar

This has not been a simple raid against a static target, but a campaign of attacks back and forth across the Bay of Catazar, many of them quite risky in nature. As a consequence every fleet that has taken part in the action is assumed to have sustained some damage. The game effect is that each fleet suffers a -2 penalty to its production (equivalent to 40 points of effective strength) for the next six months. You are free to roleplay the form that this damage takes as you see fit - it might be actual damage to your ship or ships; dead or depleted crew; or even that your crew are taking some time off to carouse away the wealth they have accrued during their raids against Grendel pirates.