A wandering fire

The last push, to drive the Jotun invaders out of Sermersuaq, has begun.

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Alliance

Dark clouds gather overhead as the Summer Storm withdraw east to Skarsind - forced to travel through the rugged forests of Hercynia since the Jotun collapsed the western end of Pakanaan's Pass. As the first rain falls from the magical storms that beset the entire Empire in the wake of Summer Storm, the Bloodcloaks, the Green Shield, and the Drakes are joined by the Bounders and the Tusks. The Marcher armies have barely stamped the mud of Bregasland from their boots before they are swept up in the campaign to drive the western orcs out of Sermersuaq. The Imperial forces are again accompanied by more than twenty thousand orc warriors out of Otkodov - the Jaws of Winter's Lightning, the Shard of Winter, and the White Mountain Fire, supported by the garrison of the Citadel of Silver and Bone that dominates the Silver Peaks.

As well as the gathering storm, there is a great deal of Imperial magic at work in Sermersuaq this season. The soldiers of the Green Shield, the Bounders, the Tusks, and the Drakes each bear enchantments that allow them to work closely together, coordinating their strategy with supernatural clarity. The Rivers of Life continue to flow across Sermersuaq, even with the presence of so many armies it seems impossible for the Suaq hunters and fisherfolk to put much of a dint in the sheer number of fish, fowl, seals, and larger beasts that churn up the lake waters or roam across the trackless tundra. There is plenty for everyone, and everywhere the spark of life is kindled to a flame. Every drop of water shimmers with healing power, and all save the most mortal of wounds - or those inflicted by wilful executioners - heal overnight.

Soldiers of the cloaks, our season has been one of bloody conquest. Our allies in the Marches and Dawn have come to ease our strain and fight our people. Honour them! Welcome them. Our work is not yet done, grind forth and tend the wounds of our kith and Imperial kin as we drive the Jotun from Stark

Lofyn Blood-cloak, General of the Bloodcloaks

Heroes of the Green Shield army, hail to thee! For too long have the Winterfolk suffered under the Jotun yoke, they have been denied their freedom and this will not stand. No matter the hardship we will not cease until they are free. We fight in memory of our heroic dead, like Dagmar of the lewd Parchment, a Suaq refugee who gave her life for our home.

Iron Osric, General of the Green Shield

Marcher folk, Bounders all. We march North this season as the Strong Reeds will secure Bregasland. We do this to close the Northern Front with our Winter-born allies, who will then come south to take back our home. This starts the reconquest of what we have lost.

Ciaphas 'Black Jack' Dekar, General of the Bounders

Drakes, the largest Dawnish army is coming to help in Sermersuaq. Lets take the forts before they get here. Overwhelming assault onwards Tom Drake's finest.

Hal Talbot, General of the Drakes

Citizens of our glorious nation our strength is needed, Wintermark calls for aid. With the enchantments of Autumn Realm we can cross the breadth of the Empire on a forced march. The Jotun will not expect us and It will be glorious.

Zoran De Orzel, General of the Golden Sun

Tusks, we're lockin the grapple with the bastards now. The next punch will fall in Sermersuaq. We shall conduct a Steady conquest, and bring the Jotun to their knees alongside our allies. In turn, they will repay us in Bregasland. Let us go forward together, and drive the Jotun from Emperor James' borders!

Tomothy Crowle, General of the Tusks

We will fight with the armies of the south to drive the Jotun from Tanikipari, and from Stark. We will be careful neither to lead nor to fall behind in the fight against stone and steel. We will trust to the design of the Five-Who-Are-One.

Tomoreh Galdramathur, General of the Jaws of Winter's Lightning

The castles of Tanikipari and Stark are where the Jotun gather their wealth. We shall take it all. We will serve the purpose of the Dragons, and we will strike once again with the grasping hand rather than the jagged shard.

Keya Prityanka, General of the Shard of Winter

Kalant and Olgfsdottishal stand between us and the absolute victory the Dragons demand. Find the weakness of the Jotun, and break them.

Stürmherra, General of the White Mountain Fire

There is also aid from an unexpected source. During the Solstice, Imperial heroes rescued the hostage taken by the Jotun, so the hylje - the mysterious shapeshifters that dwell in the lakes of Sermersuaq - offer their aid to the armies of the alliance. The martial aid they offer is barely notable beside the sheer force of armies arrayed here, but their scouts are keen eyed and know hidden ways to move through the lakes, and they possess subtle magic that hides their friends and makes it easier for their Suaq cousins to locate and ambush the champions of the Jotun. It is notable that the Thule warlocks who come into contact with the hylje treat them cautiously, with a respect they often fail to show to their Imperial allies. Warlock and warrior alike seem taken aback by the easy familiarity and camaraderie with which many Winterfolk great them. When a certain scarred Thule warlock - the eyes and ears of the Dragons in Sermersuaq - is asked for an explanation she merely replies that the Thule have their own tales of the lakeshifters, and so are always careful to treat them with courtesy.

The hylje keep their own counsel, commenting only that their people do not live only in Sermersuaq. They refuse to be drawn more on this topic - and after all, are there not much more pressing matters at hand?

Before Olgafsdottirshal

Pressing indeed. During the Summer Solstice, the heroes of the Empire ventured through the Sentinel Gate to tray and rouse the earth itself against the Jotun fortification in Tanikipari. They were unfortunately unsuccessful in their attempt to trigger a series of tremors that would have delayed the completion of the great fortification of Olgafsdottirshal. Consequently, the alliance must face not one but two great bastions of Jotun stonework if they are to drive the western orcs out of Sermersuaq completely.

During their domination of Sermersuaq, the Jotun have not been idle. Under the guidance of Igya Olgafsdottir - champion, eldest child of the powerful Jarl of Tromska, and respected advisor of the Queen of Kalsea - two immense bastions of white granite have been built. Finally completed in the first days after the Summer Solstice, Olgafsdottirshal in Tanikipari now matches the majesty of the Fortress of Kalant in Stark. The orc armies rally around these great citadels, ready for the final defence of the last land they still control in Wintermark. Each citadel is easily a match for two entire Imperial armies when it comes to defending the Jotun claim, even without their garrisons being supplemented by warriors and champions. As the Marchers say, though, "the job that never gets started takes forever to finish." The alliance armies gather, regroup on the cold plains of Tanikipari, and begin the assault against Olgafsdottirshal.

The Green Shield lead the way, they know that the hero's tale ends with a good death and they are ready to pay with their lives if they must. Famed throughout Wintermark for their heroic deeds, their presence alone has turned the tide of battle more than once. Their spirit remains undiminished in the face of the great stone walls of Olgafsdottirshal; their hearts sing with the opportunity to attempt impossible deeds in the name of driving their enemy from Sermersuaq. The Winterfolk warriors seek out every opportunity to face the strongest enemy troops, and the most defended positions. They issue challenges to the Jotun champions and meet them in furious battle, seeking to break their will and rout them through force of will as much as might of arms. Their risky tactics are effective at pushing the Jotun defenders, but they pay a heavy price for their triumphant charge.

The Drakes are barely a step behind the Green Shield. They, too, seek victory at any price. Where the Jotun are at their strongest, there too are the Drakes, attempting to smash through their positions and scatter the orc warriors. As with the Green Shield, they pay a great price for their courage. Yet it also pays off - it is the Drakes who finally breach the gates of Olgafsdottirshal, in the second week of the siege. Alongside the Green Shield, the two armies are the first to fight the orcs inside the great citadel, holding the gate against the Jotun attempts to close it again, and allowing their allies - Imperial and Thule alike - to overwhelm the defenders.

Olgafsdottirshal falls. The garrison fights until the bitter end, holding the Imperials for as long as possible. There are great deeds of heroism on both sides - and not only from the orcs themselves. Fifty yegarra under the banner of Eisa Winterborn hold the warriors of the Bloodcloaks and the Bounders at bay for four hours during the height of the siege, defending a narrow hall against everything thrown against them. They are overwhelmed in the end, but in the time they hold that passage several hundred thralls and injured Jotun are able to escape through an underground passage to the safety of the Fortress of Kalant.

Not all the thralls escape. As before the Thule warriors of the Shard of Winter hang back a little from the fighting, and make it clear that their focus is less on fighting the Jotun and more on taking their wealth - white granite used to reinforce Olgafsdottirshal, orichalcum and weltsilver... and nearly a hundred thrall masons brought in to complete the citadel. Once it is clear what the Thule are doing, there are angry rumblings among the Imperial soldiers. The orcs make no apology for what they are doing. Keya Prityanka, General of the Shard of Winter, sneers at those who dare to question her, and point out that even if her warriors are not engaging the Jotun to the fullest, that is more than made up for by those fighters brought from the Citadel of Ice and Bone who fight alongside the other Thule armies. Her words do little to quell Imperial anger as the thralls are lead away by blue-cloaked Thule.

At the Fortress of Kalant

There is little time for recrimination however. There is still a second fortification to conquer. Even with the Spring magic flowing through the territory, there are hundreds of alliance soldiers who will not fight again. Nearly a thousand Jotun bodies are left in the battlefield that is Olgafsdottirshal - but the fortification itself still stands. It will take several weeks of work, but the great castle is now in the hands of the Empire, and will provide significant defence against any future Jotun attempt to claim Tanikipari.

Little time for recrimination, and no time for rest. Tired soldiers have a single night to regroup and mourn the fallen, before the alliance breaks camp. As thunder rolls, and lightning flashes, and the wind whips the freezing rain into a furor, the armies march south to Stark, and the Fortress of Kalant. They are hot on the heels of the survivors of Olgafsdottirshal - they make only a token effort to slow the alliance armies as they head for the safety of the fortress in Stark. Built practically on the shores of lake Lansipari, the Fort of Kalant stands almost on the very border with Skallahn. The approach is marked by scattered engagements, but the Jotun are always falling back, making it difficult to pin them down. That does not mean there are not furious fights however. Yanya Uranduln, champion and leader of the Howling Bears, launches a surprise twilight attack alongside a cohort of warriors from the Bear Who Swims army that seeks to scatter the Bounders and destroy their supplies, but thanks to warning from the hylje the attack is turned back with minimal casualties on the Imperial side - but with Yanya Uranduln seriously injured. Spring magic will save their life, but they will never forget the sharp-eyed Marcher beater who shot out their eye with an arrow just as the sun was setting.

The next morning, the Fortress of Kalant comes into sight and there is more than one soldier who balks at the challenge ahead... but as the dawn breaks it brings with it a second, brighter sun. A rare break in the thunder clouds that have darkened the sky for the last month lets the sun shine through, and creates the illusion of a wall of golden light rising to meet the alliance forces.

The knights and yeofolk of Dawn have arrived.

Crossing the entire breadth of the Empire, the Golden Sun are here to fight alongside the Winterfolk, and the Marchers and the orcs of Otkodov. They are no less tired than the soldiers who brought down Tanikipari, but their appearance alone raises the spirits of the Imperial warriors. Thanks to Autumn magic, the great host of the Golden Sun will help to bring down the final refuge of the Jotun invaders. The cheer that greets their arrival drowns out the first thunder of the day as the tempest resumes, and the torrential rain does little to dampen the spirits of the Imperial warriors as they begin the approach to the Fortress of Kalant.

All the remaining Jotun forces in Sermersuaq are gathered here. Even with the garrison of Stark it seems that they are greatly outnumbered by the alliance forces arrayed against them. Barely ten thousand Jotun warriors remain in Sermersuaq, and even with almost the same again in champions and their warbands, the alliance still outnumbers them two to one. But the Jotun have a castle, and the alliance is fatigued, and that may be enough to make a difference. For three days the siege continues, with the alliance unable to breach the walls of Kalant, and the Jotun unable to decisively break the spirit of their attackers.

On the fourth day, though, everything changes and the end begins. The Jaw of Winter's Lightning propose a strategy, and the commanders of the Green Shield and the Drakes concur. A daring push allows the Imperial armies to capture the ground in front of the immense white granite gatehouse, and to hold it for long enough for three Thule warlocks to unleash devastating magic against the doors. They are torn apart by the power of Spring, the Jotun defending the walls are taken by surprise, and the fall of Kalant begins.

Within an hour of the gates being opened, the Jotun know it is over. They retreat, abandoning the castle to the Empire, giving ground in an effort to preserve as many of their own troops as possible. The garrison fights to secure their escape, but it is a lost cause. As the sun drops behind the mountains to the west, the last of the defenders falls and Kalant belongs to the alliance. The Shard of Winter again have been at pains to claim the wealth of the Fortress - along with several score more thralls unfortunately left behind in the chaos of the Jotun retreat.

By next morning, the Jotun forces have retreated into Iron Stand in Skallahn. There will no doubt be a handful of warbands who have not yet managed to get across the border, but there is now no significant Jotun force left in the territory; the last region of Sermersuaq under Jotun control has been retaken by the Empire. That just leaves one last region of Sermersuaq not under Imperial control...

Aftermath

As the magical tempest besetting the Empire slackens, the alliance takes stock. Sermersuaq is fully Imperial again. Both Olgafsdottirshal and the Fortress of Kalant are under Imperial control. Despite the ever present Spring magic, the alliance has lost perhaps fifteen hundred warriors. The Jotun lost many more than that, although a full accounting of the butcher's bill is impossible to tally. The alliance proposed by the Thule in Winter last year to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq seems to have ended in triumph.

But there is one final noteworthy incident, news of which reaches Anvil barely a week before the Autumn Equinox. The unnamed diplomat - she of the blue-and-blue pavilion - invites several of the Imperial commanders to accompany her to a particular ceremony. She reassures them they will be quite safe, and several choose to attend out of curiosity as much as anything else. The Thule armies are camped outside the Fortress of Kalant, still under its shadow but not within its walls. To the anger of several of the commanders, the Shard of Winter have gathered together all the thralls they captured during the fall of the two citadels. The frightened orcs huddle together, surrounded by warlocks in dark blue robes. Before anyone can ask any questions, a horn blows in the west and a group of fifty Jotun lead by a one-eyed godhi are spotted on the outskirts of the Thule encampment. The general of the Shard of Winter strides out to toward the Jotun, a single lone figure. The warlock and the godhi meet. There is a short discussion. Two Jotun warriors lay down a heavy looking ironbound chest before the warlock. The general does not bother to check it, merely raising their hand.

At that point, the thralls are roused by their captors and pushed through the Thule camp. They are unceremoniously released, and with many a fearful backward glance make their way over to where the Jotun force is camped. Then, all the orcs depart. The scarred diplomat watches all of this in impassive silence, and when she is done turns to the commanders who have come with her. "The same thing will happen with the other thralls that we have taken in Sermersuaq," she says calmly, her eyes glinting. "Be sure to tell the Ambassador what you have seen here, and your Senator for Ossium, and the General of the Bloodcloaks."

And then she thanks them for their time and returns to her sky-blue palanquin as the clouds break apart and the sun begins to shine in earnest on the plains of Sermersuaq for the first time in three months.

Game Information

As ever, the Wintermark armies fought in a manner that encourages heroism rather than slaughter, and everyone present in the campaign knows this to have been the case.

The Jotun have been driven entirely out of Sermersuaq, and the Empire now controls two additional rank two fortifications - Olgafsdottirshal in Tanikipari and the Fortress of Kalant in Stark.

Lions and Song (Battle)

• A desperate plea for assistance has been received from Rak Who-Speaks-For-The-Dragons-Undivided
• The Thule have outlawed slavery and released all their slaves to forestall any arguments against offering them aid on this basis
• A major conjunction has been identified to Jaelwif's Mound in Tanikipari, Sermersuaq

Shortly before the summit begins, several members of the civil service and the Ambassador to the Thule receive hastily written winged messengers containing a plea for help from the Thule. It appears that the Jotun have gained the assistance of Hayaak and are intent on unleashing a warhost of heralds in service to Hayaak, the Gryphon-King of the Summer against the Thule in Sermersuaq. Scores of warlocks, the dragons most prized servants, will be slaughtered if the Jotun succeed, mauling the Thule armies.

The Thule believe that the Jotun are seeking to punish them for allying with the Empire. Rak claims to detect the hand of the canny Jarl of Keirheim behind the maneuver - the Jotun are not angry that the Thule have allied with the Empire, but Ustigar is determined to raise the cost of that alliance so high that the Thule will be loathe to ever contemplate such a thing again. How the Jotun have gained the aid of Hayaak is a mystery to the Thule, but there is no question that it has happened.

In light of the residual political hostility towards the Thule, and to forestall any possibility of it being an issue, the Dragons have issued a decree outlawing slavery throughout Thule lands. All slaves have been released, and all remaining Imperial citizens, including any remaining Wintermark artisans, are being herded back over the border and will arrive within weeks. Rak's letters make it clear that this decree has already happened - it is not conditional on the Empire finding a way to save the Thule warlocks. He is blunt however, that having made such a magnanimous gesture, the Thule expect their allies to respond appropriately.

According to the intelligence supplied by the Thule, the Jotun are making for a Summer regio close to the Hot Springs in Tanikipari. Unless they are stopped they will invoke the power of Hayaak to unleash the Hawk Lord's vengeance on the Thule. Imperial prognosticators have confirmed that there is a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate during the Autumn Equinox that will allow Imperial heroes to travel to this location. Stopping the Jotun is an option... if the Empire want to save the Thule.

Key Objective

• Stop the Jotun from performing their ritual to save the Thule warlocks from being slaughted by Hayaak's heralds
• If the ritual is performed, a thousand casualties will be inflicted on each of the Thule armies in the territory

The Imperial victory in Sermersuaq this season has been emphatic and decisive. The western orcs are falling back to Skallahn. With the Empire now holding all the regions in the territory as well as the newly expanded fortifications of Olgafsdottirshal and Kalant the war in the frozen wastes has reached an end. The Jotun have been decisvely defeated and are falling back.

Even as they retreat however, they have found a way to carry out one last daring strike but not against the Empire. According to the intelligence, a veteran force of Jotun kirkja and hundreds of human yegarra making swift progress towards the huge Thule encampment at Vankileiri south of the Hot Springs in Tanikipari. Spurred on by roaring heralds of the Gryphon King, the Jotun are attempting to perform a ritual to allow a host of Hayaak's warlike heralds to issue forth to bring retribution down upon the Thule.

The camp contains a significant number of warlocks, along with healers, surgeons and other important figures. They are well behind the front lines and there are not enough guards to defeat the Hawk Lords' forces. If Hayaak's heralds are released, they will slaughter everyone they catch there slaughtering hundreds and reducing the military strength of each Thule army in Sermersuaq by a thousand. All the warlocks, the favoured servants of the Thule dragons, will be butchered.

If the Empire wishes to prevent their new ally from being massacred by Hayaak's heralds, they will need to stop the ritual being performed for an hour to allow the Thule to bring up enough troops to protect their camp. Any method that prevents the Jotun using the ritual during that time will work, holding the regio, destroying it, killing the Jotun ritualists, or simply taking all their ritual paraphenalia off them. However realigning the regio won't be sufficient by itself to stop the Jotun as they will have enough magicians to turn it back.

Battlefield Opportunities

Recover the Spear of Bounty from Allok Surefoot

• Defeat Allok Surefoot and capturing the Spear of Bounty will create an opportunity to improve relations with Hayaak if the Spear is returned to him

Allok Surefoot is a renown ghodi who has already defeated the Empire once to claim the Spear of Bounty. The ceremonial weapon is needed for the ritual, so Allok is sure to be on the battlefield somewhere. Defeating the ghodi will remove a charismatic leader from the Jotun's ranks, but will also provide an opportunity to claim the weapon. Capturing the Spear won't now prevent Hayaak's support for the Jotun but if the Empire is able to return the Spear to the Hawk Lord then it will lay the ground-work for improving their own relations with the testy eternal.

Kill Eisa Winterborn or Yanya Uranduln

• Killing Eisa Winterborn or Yanya Uranduln's will cause their elite unit to withdraw to Skallahn. They will not return to fighting the Empire for two seasons

Eisa Winterborn and Yanya Uranduln have been a thorn in the Empire's side throughout the campaign in Sermersuaq helping to conquer the hot springs of Taniki and destroying the western end of Pakanaan's Pass. The Empire has had opportunities to kill the Jotun heroes before but they are experienced warriors who have proved too much for the Empire's heroes in the past. It is no suprise that Allok Surefoot has requested these two groups escourt him and his ritual team to the regio.

Both are renowned heroes of the Jotun and each leads a sizeable warband, under the Walrus Banner and the Banner of the Howling Bear respectively. These warbands are akin to Imperial military units, able to move quickly to support Jotun armies, fighting wherever they are needed most. Between them, the two champions command a force with with an effective strength equivalent to nearly half an Imperial army. If either of them were slain, their warband would withdraw from the campaign. They are held together by the heroic charisma of their - they will be absent from the war with the Empire for at least six months while they find a new leader.

If either of the pair make it back alive they will regroup in Skallahn and look to recruit new warriors. If they are successful in supporting Alok and taking revenge on the Thule, then their names will be etched into legend and the ranks of their warbands will swell in size, making them even more dangerous in the coming seasons.

Rescue the Thule Warlocks

• Rescue a group of Thule Warlocks
• Treat their injuries before moving them to safety

A group of Thule warlocks were performing rituals at the regio, casting Summer enchantments on the Dragon's champions when the Jotun's advanced scouts arrived. They have been taken prisoner by the Jotun, and some of them have been badly wounded in the fighting. If the Empire has the time and the inclination, they may be able to mount a rescue to recover the prisoners and help them make their way to safety. Any rescue party will need to include some skilled surgeons - the Thule will need their wounds binding before they can flee. The Empire would need to escort them to the edge of the battlefield near the Sentinel Gate for them to get safely away.