381YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

Overview

Over the past three months, several events have occurred which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. You can also read about the progress of the Empire's military campaigns here.

In each case, we've tried to tag the Winds of Fortune entry with the nations, or political bodies, to which it is most relevant. We've done this to help people who are interested only in events that are especially relevant to them. In no way are these tags intended to be exhaustive; the Empire is a complex place and very little happens in isolation.

As always, how much or how little of this information you choose to know in character is up to you. Part of the purpose of Winds of Fortune is to maintain the illusion of the Empire as a living, breathing place where things happen - and to make players aware of things their characters 'should' know based on what their roleplaying says they have been doing for the past three months.

Many winds of fortune open with a short section of in-character text. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip. They're mostly just a bit of fun and they tend not to contain anything vital to the understanding of the wind of Fortune.

Miscellaneous

The Ritual Raiment of House Bourné

With the aid of the Empire's leading fashion-and-gossip magazine The Looking Glass, a Sarvosan guild called House Bourné has revealed the existence of six schemata, each providing a pattern for a magic robe that empowers ritual magic from a single realm, through the combined power of dramaturgy and the hearth magic of girding. Each raiment also comes with a potent roleplaying effect tied to the Persona it draws power from.

Following an announcement in the Imperial Conclave on Friday night, the House has thrown open its doors to any Imperial artisan who wishes to visit and study one or more of the schema, to learn how to duplicate their effects. The six ritual raiments are:

• The Bishop's Ensemble, which enhances the practice of Day magic.
• The Captain's Garb, which enhances the practice of Summer magic.
• The Doctor's Attire, which enhances the practice of Winter magic.
• The Mountebank's Guise, which enhances the practice of Spring magic.
• The Prince's Raiment, which enhances the practice of Autumn magic.
• The Semblance of the Witch, which enhances the practice of Night magic.

The schema remain the property of House Bourné - the only way to learn them is to spend some time visiting their estate in Sarvos - but mechanically any character can learn one or more of these recipes in the normal way - when they pick the artisan skill, or when they buy the extra item skill. It is not possible for someone who knows how to make one to simply teach someone else - although House Bourné is not placing any restriction on who can learn the patterns as long as they are Imperial citizens.

With these robes, it is now possible for a ritual magician to be bonded to three magic items, greatly enhancing their ranks of ritual lore (within the limitations of the normal rules for additional ranks).

New Rituals

Four new rituals have been added to Imperial lore by the Imperial Conclave: Gidyon's Refrain, Lions of Phoenix Reach, and Stalwart Stand on Solid Ground. Any character who is eligible to master a new ritual can master one of these rituals.

A fourth ritual - Hammers of the Brilliant Shore - was also submitted for Imperial lore, but we are still waiting on confirmation that the requirements for a Declaration of Imperial Lore have been met.

Detente in Sermersuaq

The raids by the odd hunters that have been going on for the last six months or so have petered out. It is not obvious if this is a temporary respite, or whether Savik Summerstorm has secured a permanent resolution.