Rubies in the snow

The orcs and humans of Skallahn fight as fiercely as any Imperial to defend their city.

Gathering in Sermersuaq!

The Narwhal's Spear is already in Sermersuaq. Following the Autumn Equinox, they are joined by five other Imperial armies. The Fire of the South have travelled the longest distance, all the way from the Mallum, from Sarangrave. The Burning Falcon has come up from Mournwold, making the bulk of the journey through Kallavesa alongside the Valiant Pegasus and the Autumn Hammers who had been billeted in Mitwold, and the Green Shield from Upwold. Together the armies gather in Stark, a sea of tents spreading out around the Fortress of Kalant.

The weather is grim; a short autumn in the north gives way to hail, sleet, and snow. At night, it is cold enough to freeze water into stone; the Freeborn in particular feel the cold, but mostly use it as an excuse to light bonfires and stay up late into the night, sharing stories and the warmth of camaraderie with their allies. For the Winterfolk and Unshackled, the cold is notable but nothing unfamiliar. They are used to the cold plains of Sermersuaq, to the snowy alpine mountains of Skarsind. They offer advice to their friends from the south; how to dress, how to keep warm in the night, how to avoid chilblains and frostbite.

Hammers, once again we have a Jotun Fort in our sights! We call upon the contracts with the Forgemistress to storm the walls and take Kierheim in the Jotun Heartlands of Skallahn. Strike the Hamer blow in Bjorkey, break down their gates and claim the fort. Take pride in your strength, our Empire will grow.

Ashborn Vana, General of the Autumn Hammers

To the Marches last season. To the North this season. The Jotun threaten the west and we respond as one Empire. The walls of Kierheim will shake before the Falcon and crumble before the Hammer of the Imperial Orcs. We march to Victory and to show the Jotun the pride of Freeborn.

Aracelis I Erigo, General of the Burning Falcon

Cousins! I have watched with pride as your flame burned across the Empire to crush the Druj. I now ask you to shine your indomitable light towards the cold, windswept north. Take a forced march onwards to Skallahn to engage the Jotun. Move with the clarity of Day in your minds and courage in your hearts. Strike hard and true, show our enemies the blazing strength of the Freeborn!

Xenia i Erigo, General of the Fire of the South

How to Honour the fallen, friend and foe? The faithful lost, the hearts laid low? Now with sorrows, not with sighs, but with fire that lights the skies. The Host assembles! Banners bright, shining in the sun, steadfast in fight. Spears like silver, swords that sing. Drums of the march, trumpets ring. We storm the fortress. Strong and high. The walls will crumble and towers lie. Through toil and tempest, with blood and flame, we slow the north of a warriors home. For hardship faced and courage shown, turns bitter grief to honour grown. War done nightly, with heart and hand, is the greatest gift to foe and friend.

Iron Osric, General of the Green Shield

Sermersuaq, I feel your pain. I feel you suffer. I have lived through all 4675 of your nightmares. In loyalty, with courage we remember the fallen. We are the ones who carry on. We are the proud flames of those now gone. Take a breath, a deep breath, our work never stops. Look to the west, to Skallahn, to Kierheim. We push to get their attention, to make them look at us. Be the beacon of Ambition, no one can ignore!

Determination of Ice Kaisa, General of the Narwhal's Spear

My brothers and sisters, we march to Skallahn to fight alongside our cousins in Wintermark, the freeborn and the Imperial orcs to strike the city of Kierheim, inflicting a blow to the Jotun which they shall surely feel. Look to your bands of loyalty for each other and the empire to guide your actions through virtue. Your loyal brother, Hector

Lucifer, General of the Valiant Pegasus

If the Valiant Pegasus have an opinion on the weather, the Highborn keep it to themselves. They are too busy preparing to face the Jotun to worry about what the sky is doing. The magical warriors who have pitched their tents among the stark black, white, and red of the Highguard army are perhaps also a cause for some concern. The Knights of Glory have been called from the demesne of the Mistress of Penants to fight with the Pegasus. These fey hunters are garbed in gold and green, and the majority wear animal masks and fight with paired blades. They are led by Mistress Malachie, herself a relentless war-witch who once served the Peregrine Knight Hayaak but now owes fealty to the Lady of Summer. It is probably just a coincidence that this particular cohort has come from Eleonaris' realm to fight with the Highborn, although a handful of magisters mutter that to choose this band of knights in this place, and have them fight alongside Highguard, may be some kind of pointed comment from the Lion Queen.

Other than the Highborn, all the other armies are woven with Day magic, granted the Clarity of the Master Strategist that helps focus soldiers on their goals, to look at the wider picture, to work together seamlessly towards a common cause. It makes preparation for the trip west and for dealing with the weather significantly easier.

Once the Fire of the South have arrived, and had a day and a night to catch their breath, the invasion of Skallahn commences on a cold, frosty morning not too long after the Autumn Equinox. Brazen horns sound as the sun rises in a clear, brittle blue sky over the tundra of northern Wintermark, and the armies begin to move.

Greenwall

Greenwall is the southernmost region of Skallahn. Herds of short-haired cattle wander freely across the lowlands, with shaggy sheep favouring the hillsides. Between the larger farms are innumerable crofts that, in the right season, cultivate grains, and a peculiar dark, spongy, purple vegetable that forms the basis of many meals for the thralls here. Jarl Asbjørn Dalgaard once ruled here, before their death at the hands of Imperial heroes. Now, Eluf Asbjørnsson holds the Jarls hall up near the northern border with Iron Stand. It is to him that the thralls turn when the Empire arrives.

To his credit, Eluf does his best, but he is absolutely outclassed. He can't even delay the forces ranged against him in any meaningful way, and clearly sees little profit in throwing the lives of his warriors away in a futile attempt to stem the tide of Imperials. Instead, he sends swift-footed messengers north and west, warning the rest of Skallahn what is coming. Within a few days, the first soldiers from the garrison at Kierheim cross the border into Greenwall, scouting out the Empire's force and doing their best to harry their advance guard. They aren't alone - the banners of the wealthy Jarl of Aftanes are quickly spotted among their number. Indeed, the Jarl of Aftanes themselves appears to be in charge of the defence; it's not clear why the Jarl of Kierheim is not taking the lead. Jarl Ustigar is dead, but surely his successor should be at the forefront of the defence of Skallahn?

The Jotun are on the defensive, right from the get-go. The warriors arrayed against them are massively outnumbered; even when warriors from the fort of Ulfrsborg begin to arrive, they are outmatched. The Burning Falcon and the Green Shield are almost irresistible, it seems. Nothing will stand between them and triumph over the Jotun. Time and again, Winterfolk and Freeborn alike strike where the fighting is fiercest, seeking to confront the mightiest enemies and best defended positions, and rout them. Soldiers of both armies openly seek to outdo one another, boasting and goading their fellows to even greater acts of risky heroism. The Jotun, needless to say, rise to their challenge, relishing the chance to test their own strength against these valiant foes.

The Narwhal's Spear and the Valiant Pegasus are barely a step behind them. While their attacks are more focused on strategic gains, they still drive themselves to overwhelm the Jotun, to shock and awe them into inevitable retreat. The knights of Mistress Malachie cheer the Highborn in particular onward, even as they hurl themselves into the fray with their twin-blades singing through the frigid air. The soldiers of Highguard, for the most part, resist the enthusiasm of the creatures of Summer, but as the campaign draws on, it becomes just that little more difficult not to give in to their exhortations to greater and greater deeds.

Greenwall is, at the end of the day, a land of farmers. Jarl Eluf raises his fyrd and joins the soldiers from Kierheim and Ulfrsmoor, but in the end, is forced to retreat just as his father was forced to retreat before him. The snow-scattered farmlands fall to the Empire, all resistance crushed. Only thralls remain - and as is so often the case, they sadly seem unable to entirely understand that they are free now. They listen, and they nod, and then they go back to their farms and wait. It is frustrating, particularly to the Freeborn, that these people seem to refuse to understand that they do not have to stay here, are not expected to turn over their meagre supplies of food to the Imperial armies, that they have been liberated and not conquered. It is a familiar problem; a people whose culture tells them that they are servants rather than masters.

Regardless, the Imperial advance barely breaks a stride as it crosses Greenwall; the true prize awaits ahead. Rich Bjarkey and the city of Kierheim itself.

Kierheim

The city where Jarl Ustigar once ruled in the name of the Queen lies at one end of the Kongegőr. The bridge connects Skallahn to Hordalant, and Kalsea to Narkyst. Much of the prosperity of Kierheim comes from the traders who pass back and forth across the Kongegőr, trading the mineral wealth of the north for the victuals of the south. By the time the Imperial armies press into Bjarkey, the barbarian defences are settled against them. The garrisons of both Kierheim and Ulfrsborg are arrayed against them. Warriors from all across Skallahn come to support them, come at the command not of the Jarl, but of Queen Yrsa Jansdottir herself. It seems the Jarl of Jarls, the first among equals and the ruler of the northern Jotun, is still in Kierheim.

Determination of Ice Kaisa, General of the Narwhal's Spear

Her presence is explained by tales extracted from frightened thralls and captured Jotun. Jarl Ustigar is dead; he died fighting the General of the Green Shields as a champion of his people. It should be a simple matter for his heir to take command of Kierheim. Yet there is apparently no clear successor; Ustigar asked that the Queen appoint the new Jarl partly so that they might begin their rule free of the shadow of his influence. The Jotun are not that dissimilar to the Empire, it seems. Imperial citizens rarely see their politics at work, for they keep such things far from the battlefield, but it seems the Jotun are as given to favouritism, manoeuvring, and patronage as any League or Freeborn citizen. The Queen is still here because there are three candidates with a good claim to the Jarldom, and none of them will step aside in favour of one of the others.

Each is popular, experienced, and a hero of their people. Deciding the matter with a contest of arms might be traditional, but there is no certainty that such a contest would actually settle things. There is also the risk that it might spill out of control, perhaps split the people of Skallahn when they must be unified. Queen Yrsa has sent north, it seems, to Mount Majastind, for a certain ghodi who hears the voice of Ulven especially clearly. Renowned for their wisdom, they can be trusted to choose with an even hand, present an outcome that will at least quiet rival voices, and not risk the position of the Jarl of Jarls. She may be called queen, but Yrsa Jansdottir - like the King of the south - is first among equals, and while her jarls do not say as much out loud, while they swear oaths of fealty, they do not sacrifice their pride or their ambition in the name of thoughtless service.

Iron Osric, General of the Green Shield

Aracelis i Erigo, General of the Burning Falcon

Regardless, the presence of the Queen simply means that the defence of Kierheim is being directed by one of the mightiest heroes of the Jotun. The bulk of the barbarian armies are in the south, fighting in the Marches. Skallahn does not have to drive the Empire's mighty armies out; it just needs to survive until the Queen can call her jarls back from the south to defend their lands. Messengers no doubt are already racing through Hordalant to Bregasland and Mitwold, but there is no chance of reinforcements until after the Winter Solstice. In the meantime, they must do everything they can to hold Bjarkey, to hold Kierheim, and to prevent the Empire from taking control of the northern end of the Kongegőr.

(And there are signs - scraps of evidence - that the Queen has not only sent messengers south to the Marches. Rumours of a certain Jotun wizards sent to petition aid from the Lords of Summer and Ladies of Autumn at those manses built to allow such negotiation. Unsourced gossip of a fast ship, crewed by thralls whose loyalty to the queen is without question, sailing into the teeth of the Winter gales that batter the coastline into the Sea of Snow to Bryadvik and mysterious Fjorknae to call the jarls of the west to Skallahn.)

The Walls of Kierheim are high, and strong, but they must stand against not only the soldiers of Wintermark and Highguard and the Brass Coast but against the hammers of Autumn. The Sovereign-lords of the Iron Labyrinth are bound by contract to aid the third Imperial Orcs army when they are called upon. This season, it is the Lady of Shikal whose servants fight alongside the Unshackled, and they bring with them the terrible siege engines of the City of Fire and Stone. Once the armies come within sight of the walls, the word is given, and the brazen heralds and minotaur engineers unleash hell against the fortification. Great mechanical catapults and trebuchets pound the walls directly, while six metal siege towers creak across the battlefield, driven by clever engines crafted in the Autumn realm. Steel siege ladders are deployed to allow Imperial soldiers to take the fight directly to the defenders atop the walls. A massive covered ram, crafted from a column of volcanic stone and bound with green iron, is deployed to breach the gates of Kierheim. There will be no prolonged siege here, not if the Autumn Hammers have their way.

Xenia i Erigo, General of the Fire of the South

When the gates finally break under the relentless onslaught - in spite of the runes laid into their surface to ensure such a thing never happens - the armies of the Empire pour into Kierheim. It must seem that the fight is over, that this is the end, but celebration proves premature. The Queen herself leads the defenders in a counter-charge, the Jarl of Aftanes and his family at her side, and all three of the contenders for the Jarldom, leading their own warbands in defiance of the Empire. Blood flows, the air rings with cries of challenge, and the hammering thunder of the siege engines. Unshackled and champion, Freeborn and yegarra, Winterfolk heroes and Jotun, Highborn and barbarian; the fighting spreads through the stone-lined streets, the thatched halls, even to the court of the fountain that lies before the palace of the Jarl of Kierheim.

The Walls Hold

In the end, though, the Jotun defenders have the edge. The Imperial forces are pushed back through the broken runemarked gate, and the siege engines fall silent. The Queen and her Jarls hold the city - just - against the Imperial assault. Yet the walls of Kierheim, the great fortification that has proudly ringed the seat of the Jarl since before the days of Emperor Guntherm, are cracked and battered. The walls have been stormed, the gates shattered, and the garrison has paid dearly to keep the city for another day. As the Winter Solstice dawns, the Empire's armies are camped before the walls; they have most of Bjarkey under their control and the whole of Greenwall. There can be little doubt that reinforcements are on their way - the Jarls of Tromsa and Bryadvik, and perhaps even distant Fjorknae, cannot deny the call of the Queen. There has been evidence in the past that the Jarls of Skallahn have good relations with the sovereign-lords of the Iron Labyrinth, and half the armed force of the Jotun currently engaged in the Marches owe fealty to Yrsa Jansdottir. Will it be enough to hold the Empire, to reclaim Skallahn? Or will the hammer of Autumn and the brazen fires, and the shield and spear, and the spreading wings of the pegasus, take the city of Jarl Ustigar and create a fracture-line between the north and the south?

The runes are still bouncing on the cloth; the future is not yet written.

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Game Information

• The Empire has captured Greenwall and is three-quarters of the way toward seizing Bjarkey
• Control of Bjarkey will grant control of the northern end of the Kongegőr
• The Walls of Kierheim still stand but have taken a serious pounding

The Empire took the defenders of Skallahn by surprise with their bold attack. Imperial forces have conquered Greenwall, and are three-quarters of the way toward conquering Bjarkey. The new fortification rules come into effect at the start of the Winter Solstice, which have implications for the conquest of Bjarkey, but this season has seen the bastion take significant damage, and the garrison significantly damaged.

Control of Bjarkey brings with it control of the northern end of the Kongegőr. As laid out by the Prognosticators Office by Graciana, this would present a strategic opportunity to split the northern Jotun kingdom off from the southern kingdom.

Finally, the Jarl of Greenwall has raised their fyrd - gathered their household warriors around them - and fight now to defend Skallahn from Imperial forces.

Participation : Valiant Pegasus

• Characters whose military unit fought with the Valiant Pegasus alongside the Knights of Glory may receive a special benefit

While the Valiant Pegasus assayed an overwhelming assault against the Jotun in Skallahn, they were accompanied by Summer knights drawn from the realm of Eleonaris. Those knights enthusiastically participated in the bold action, urging the soldiers that fought alongside them to throw themselves into glorious battle against the barbarians. Any character whose military unit supported one of these three armies may choose to have embraced the experience of battling alongside the heralds of the Lady of Pennants.

• If you possess the hero skill, you may choose to increase your number of hero points by one until the end of the Winter Solstice.
• If you do not have the hero skill, you gain an additional temporary hero point which, once spent, is permanently gone. It will have faded entirely by the end of the Winter Solstice, regardless.

Anyone who chooses to gain this benefit also experiences a roleplaying effect that lasts until the end of the Winter Solstice: You feel the urge to do great deeds that will make you the centre of attention, and take particular pleasure from approval and adulation. You feel the urge to do things that demonstrate your prowess as a powerful warrior. Being overlooked or dismissed may cause you to lose your temper.

Any Highborn character whose military unit supported the Valiant Pegasus may accept this boon and roleplaying effect, or they may choose to actively resist the influence of the Summer heralds. If you wish, you may email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk before the end of March, indicating that you sought out the aid of one of the priests that march with every Highborn army. Instead of the benefit above, you may instead specify that you received one of three anointings - the Wellspring of Pride, the Demands of Vigilance, or the Preparations of Vigilance. You won't need to provide any liao, and this anointing will have a strength of only 1 (meaning it will not replace a more powerful aura). It will persist until the start of the Spring Equinox 388YE, or until removed or replaced. If you take this option you are encouraged to express the concerns that led you to seek it out, once the game begins.