383YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

Overview

The progress of the Empire's many military campaigns will appear here before the Autumn Equinox.

Three Marcher armies advance into Segura

Circle and Track

As the Summer Solstice dawned, three of the four territories of the Brass Coast lay under siege. Segura and Kahraman were threatened by the Jotun, while the Grendel advanced in Feroz. During the Solstice, the heroes of the Empire struck back bravely against the orcs. They helped to relieve the garrison of Fort Braydon, and prevented the Grendel from seizing control of the bridges that would have allowed them to prevent Imperial armies moving south from Madruga to engage them.

Segura

Marcher Folk, last season we knocked out a few of the Kraken's teeth. This season we prevent the enemy from closing its claws on Segura. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our kith and kin. As well as gifts from the Autumn Realm. We march to War!

Ciaphas Dekar, General of the Bounders

Immediately after the Solstice, the armies of the Empire are on the move. Three armies of Marcher soldiers advance into Segura; the Tusks from Mitwold, the Bounders and the Strong Reeds from Feroz. They are here to relieve the Seventh Wave and the Granite Pillar; the Highborn armies are needed in the eastern Brass Coast. They plant their battle standards along the borders of Anduzjasse and contested Anozeseri. Shoulder to shoulder to shoulder they stand, forming a wall of Marcher steel and sinew to throw back the armies of the Lasambrian Jotun. The Tusks oversee the defence, and along with the Reeds they bear valuable enchantments that help them coordinate the Imperial defence despite the vast, open grasslands with minimal numbers of runners and messengers.

Soldiers of the Strong Reeds, once more we aid the Freeborn, we will defend shoulder to shoulder with Bounders. Look to your virtue, we will allow the dead to be recovered, and we will ensure no Freeborn suffers!

Jack Flint, General of the Strong Reeds

The Tusks and the Reeds are supported by more than five thousand soldiers loyal to independent captains - supplementing the Imperial Guerdon with the bounty offered by the Zemress Islanders. Five great constructs of brass and bronze, each twice as large as the tallest Marcher yeoman, fight alongside the Bounders - a gift from the Mistress of Shikal herself. Other potent magic is at work in Segura this season. What little water there is in this dry territory bears the unmistakable mark of spring power; any wound suffered by orc or human that is not fatal is healed overnight. For those able to perceive it, the subtle tang of Autumn magic hangs in the air as well, gently twisting the ribbons of fate to once again ensure that the people of Segura do not suffer the depredations of the western raiders.

Tusks, the time for rest is over. Take up your bills and bows, and march for Segura. We will dig in deep, and conduct a strategic defence. We stand alongside the Bounders and the Strong Reeds - let us show them how it is done!

Tomothy Crowle, General of the Tusks

The three armies form a bulwark against the barbarians; but the orcs do not come.

The Lasambrian Jotun are content to remain in Anduzjasse, and in the scattered settlements of western Anozeseri that they have managed to claim. There are a few skirmishes along the boundaries of Yellow Chase and the Iron Plains, but nothing conclusive and nothing involving more than a few hundred warriors. No significant casualties are suffered by either side. The people of Segura go about their business in relative peace - both those under the domination of the Lasambrian Jotun, and those in the rest of the territory. The Iron Qanat is raised in Yellow Chase; the caravans of goods cross the grasslands to Anozel and Cerevado without interruption.

Soldiers of the Winter Sun, we have spent two seasons sharpening our blades and strengthening our nation, but now the time has come for war. We will march into Kahraman with a steady conquest against the Jotun alongside our brethren in the Mark. We will meet the enemy on their terms, showing honour wherever it is due and proving the strength of an Imperial Legion.

Morgor, General of the Winter Sun

Kahraman
The brave garrison of Fort Braydon slowed the Jotun advance, but could not stop them claiming parts of Serra Damata. They nearly paid a bloody price for their courage, were it not for the intervention of the Imperial heroes. Shortly after the Summer Solstice, the Winter Sun and the Green Shield march into the Cinnabar Hills through a narrow, precarious pass in the mountains of Braydon's Jasse. As they move along the river south of Fort Braydon, a great cheer goes up from the garrison there, and the iron bells high in the towers peal out a welcome.

All told there are perhaps eleven thousand Imperial troops come to drive the Jotun out of Serra Damata. Even with the clarity granted by Day magic, it takes them several days to cross the rugged hills and deep gullies of Kahraman, however. By the time they reach the towering ice fortress raised in the hills above the Great Mine of Briante, the soldiers are tired and dusty, but the citizens of the mining town are ready to meet them with ewers of cold water drawn from the mountain streams at very reasonable prices as they show their appreciation for the soldiers' presence.

Heroes of the Green Shield, we go south to Kahraman, to aid our Freeborn friends and meet our present enemy. The Jotun of the north have sent the Skjaldirborn south, so it is fitting that we will be there to meet them. Show your heroism, fight with honour, we can meet the enemy on their terms and prove ourselves the stronger! Forth the Green Shield Army!

Osric, General of the Green Shield

The Jotun, however, are not there to greet them. They have already withdrawn from Serra Damata, back through the western hills into Reinos, back into Jotun territory. All they have left behind is a solitary crimson banner of the Bear-Who-Swims, topped with the blind-eyed skull of a dire beast. They have not even taken thralls; the people of western Serra Damata have been left in the few scattered villages and farms that still risk living so close to the Jotun border.

Kahraman is entirely Imperial once again.

Game Information : Western Brass Coast

There have been no significant engagements in Segura or Kharaman for Imperial forces this season. Kahraman is once again entirely Imperial. In Segura, the Lasambrian Jotun remain in control of Anduzjasse and have made some progress in conquering Anozserai.

Any military unit captain who supported an army in Segura this season receives payment provided by the Zemress Islanders - a sum of 5 crowns for a starting military unit, proportionally more for an upgraded or enchanted unit.

Feroz falls to the Grendel.

Bronze

Corsairs! Despite the Empire bloodying the Grendel menace in the Bay of Catazar over the last year, they refuse to see sense and return to their despairing cities. They are our ancient enemy. Let us remind them of the fury of Freeborn Corsairs and take back our land.

Vrael i Sol-Devorador i Erigo, General of the Red Wind Corsairs

During the Summer Solstice the Grendel attempted to take control of the Scorrero crossing, and had they been successful they would have controlled all movement of land forces between Madruga and Oranseri. In the event, Imperial heroes were able to intervene through the Sentinel Gate and put a stop to their stratagem. Still, the Grendel control of the northern borders of Feroz presents something of a logistical problem, forcing the Empire's forces to pass through Segura to enter the territory if they do not want to face a pitched battle attempting to attack Oranseri directly from Madruga.

This does not prevent the Empire gathering a great force of Imperial soldiers in western Feroz. The Quiet Step are joined by the two Imperial armies from Segura - the Seventh Wave and the Granite Pillar - in Morajasse. The Granite Pillar set up defensive positions, while the Seventh Wave move catuiously forward sending dozens of small teams of practiced scouts ahead of them to spy out the enemy positions. A short time later, they are joined first by the Red Wind Corsairs down out of Mournwold, and then the Black Thorns our of Liathaven, passing through Kharaman and Segura to end up with the other three Imperial armies in the shadow of Mora's Rock.

The Granite Pillar prepare to blunt the presumed thrust of the Grendel forces, supported by more than two thousand soldiers belonging to Hibhgorn and Urizen warbands. The other four armies break camp and push east, toward the coast and the barbarian horde. The Red Wind Corsairs take the lead, possessed of a supernaturally heightened acuity that combines with their knowledge of the Brass Coast to help them predict at least in part the likely movements of the Grendel invaders. As with the 'Pillar they are supported by independant warbands - a mix of nations more than a thousand soldiers in all.

Soldiers of the Granite Pillar will march with all haste to Feroz. Establish a Strategic Defence standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in the Seventh Wave. We will not cede any more the Brass Coast to the Barbarians!

Gideon, General of the Granite Pillar

As the Imperial forces move, a supernatural storm moves to meet them - gathering far out to sea and sweeping in to batter the coast with torrential rain and howling winds. The tempest is indiscriminate; while it hinders the Grendel armada it also presents significant threats to any Imperial vessels in the territory this season.

The weather shakes the Grendel armada, but it does not slacken their thirst for conquest. Even as the Empire is gathering in Morajasse, the orc marines are pushing west through Fontargenta, securing the last of the region and solidifying Grendel control of the coastline. The orcs waste no time on trying to loot the Freeborn; they are all business. Perhaps their magicians recognised the whisper of subtle Autumn magic in the air that stymied their plundering last season; more likely the commanders who set their forces to raiding instead of conquering and cost the Grendel control of Fontargenta prior to the Summer Solstice have been replaced.

Highborn, we begin our return east. We go to Feroz, to assist the Brass Coast once more. This time, however, we get to fight the hated Grendel. Even better, we fight with our siblings in the Granite Pillar and our friends in the Quiet Step. Give the Grendel no respite, nowhere to hide. give them a reckoning!

Cuth, General of the Seventh Wave

The orc marines are not alone however. Even as the Imperial forces are preparing to engage along the contested borders of Morajasse and Afarjasse news comes to the Seventh Wave of Grendel ships disgorging thousands of barbarian land-forces in Oranseri. As near as the scouts can piece together, part of the armada spent the last season returning to Attar and has since returned with two armies, perhaps ten thousand additional Grendel troops in all. Or at least some of them are Grendel troops; when the Empire finally engages them it is clear that not only orcs native to the Broken Shore are fighting in Feroz.

Having swiftly regrouped from their - likely turbulent - sea crossing the land forces immediately strike west for Morajasse with the support of many of the Grendel marines. In the vanguard are warriors familiar to many of the Freeborn fighters - the forces of the Naguerro rush to engage the Imperial armies with wild abandon, crashing repeatedly against the soldiers attempting to push toward the coast. The Naguerro once lived in Kalino to the south, before being defeated by the Iron Confederacy when the Lasambrian nation collapsed. It seems they have prospered in the year or more that they have spent with their cousins on the Broken Shore. They are much revitalised, and seem to burn with a terrible hatred for the Empire that translates itself into an overwhelming assault against their positions across the contested land between orc and human controlled territory.

They are followed up by the Iron Gulls - last seen in the disastrous (for the Grendel) retreat from Spiral. Survivors of the catastrophe when the heart of Screed was roused to wakefulness, it seems they also harbour a deep anger towards the Imperial armies - albeit one that is significantly more focused than that of the Naguerro. They drag with them a suite of siege engines - well prepared for the dearth of wood on the grasslands of Feroz they have brought their catapults and siege engines with them and clearly mean to put them to good use. Their target is Mora's Rock, the new fortification having been completed barely a month previously.

Thorns, we march for the coast. We fight with our brothers and sisters in the Quiet Step, and with the Highborn and Red Wind Corsairs. Show we are the fastest army in the Empire as we force march down the trods. Draw on the magical and mundane might from the Quiet Step and butcher the Grendel. Make them fear the strength of the Navarr armies!

Lleu Tarw, General of the Black Thorns

While the marines along the coast absorb the force of the Imperial attempt to liberate Feroz, the Naguerro and the Iron Gulls push into Morajasse. The Empire's forces manage to briefly claim some land along the border between the two forces, but they are able to hold it for only a handful of weeks before they are forced to retreat back. For their part, the Grendel launch an audacious raid against Mora's Rock. A pitched battle takes place between the Granite Pillar and the two Grendel armies below the walls of the fortification. The Rock takes a fair amount of damage from the attempt to storm the walls, but the Grendel are soon forced to retreat back toward Oranseri or risk being completely cut off from their main force.

The Marchers leave for Segura, replaced by Highborn, freeborn and the Black Thorns. Be we remain. Disperse through our attacking allies, hunt Grendel commanders and paymasters, unleash our magics from within allied ranks and do whatever it takes to disrupt, displace and destroy the Grendel forces.

Brennos Brackensong, General of the Quiet Step

The loss of life across the territory is significant. While the Grendel marines are concerned primarily with taking and holding the coast and do not press into Morajasse or Afarjasse, the Naguerro seem unconcerned about casualties, relishing every opportunity to engage the Empire. For their part, the Imperial troops are supported by the Quiet Step who are prepared to do whatever it takes to damage the barbarian forces, employing unorthodox - but effective - tactics to strike at the orc armies from unexpected positions that allow them to target their supply trains, hospitals, and the occasional Grendel commander. it's hard to judge the effectiveness of the magical storms on the Grendel armada, but a conservative estimate suggests well over three thousand Grendel are slain; by contrast the Empire estimates a little short of three thousand soldiers have been lost to Imperial forces.

The Empire makes some small gains in Oranseri and Fortargenta but manage to hold them for little more than a handful of weeks before being forced to fall back westward. For their part, the Grendel marines hold off the Empire attempt to reach the coast, and even manage to make some headway into Morajasse - although the presence of the fortification there means they have little more than a fingerhold on the western grasslands. Worse - from the point of view of the Empire at least - they have managed to consolidate their control of the three eastern regions.

Fortargenta is now completely under Grendel control - and as Fortargenta falls so falls the territory.

Feroz is no longer part of the Brass Coast; but the Freeborn are not prepared to abandon it to the orcs. A fortnight before the Autumn Equinox, messengers from the town of Afar reach the commanders of the Imperial forces defending Feroz. The hakima of Afar are adept in the use of night magic, and have been preparing for the worst. Now they plan to take advantage of a coming conjunction of the heavens that will allow them to unleash far-reaching magic across the Empire.

Over the centuries, the Hakima of Afar have aided Freeborn across the Coast. In return, many of them signed contracts committing themselves or their descendants to come to the Hakima's aid if they are called. Not only Freeborn, but various people across the Empire are in debt to the Hakima. Provided the summons comes in the correct way, these people will be bound to come to Feroz and fight the Grendel in the coming season, potentially providing a signficiant source of military strength to aid in either the defence of Afarjasse and Morajasse - or to help the Imperial armies take back what the Grendel raiders have stolen from them.

They do not need magical assistance; but they do need military assistance. The orcs appear to have gotten wind of what they are planning - perhaps a lucky spy spotted the magicians gathering at Afar, or perhaps the sorcerors of the Naguerro or the Sky masters of the Grendel have seen what is coming in divinations of their own. A major force of Iron Gulls and Naguerro magicians are heading east across the grasslands of Afarjasse. They will reach Afar within the week - and while there are some kohan protecting the hakima they will not be sufficient to deal with such powerful foes. They will be forced to abandon their magic and flee, risking capture or death in the process.

Thus the Hakima of Afar need the assistance of heroes - someone to intercept the Grendel force and either turn them back or slow them sufficiently that they have time to complete their working.

Game Information : Feroz

The Grendel now control Feroz; it is no longer an Imperial territory.

Among other things, they have also finally sent forces to capture the Celesti Lighthouse; the mariner's Mana it used to provide is no longer available to the Celesti Lighthouse Keeper.

Major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate have been identified that would allow travel to Afarjasse. According to the civil service, either conjunction would allow Imperial heroes to intercept the Grendel force moving across the plains. Scouts from the Seventh Wave report that each night when the Grendel camp they throw up a temporary stockade, breaking it down each morning before moving on. The conjunctions would allow the Empire to attack while they are still encamped. The Highborn scouts also report that the stockade appears to partly be for the security of a high ranking orc of some kind - not the military commander but possibly an important advisor.

The full scope of the magic the hakima of Afar are planning to unleash is not entirely clear; Night magic is not destructive in nature. From the description of the contractual debts owed to them, the hakima believe that thousands of kohan, corsairs, and soldiers of many nations will be drawn to Feroz to fight alongisde the armies in the coming season - provided the Grendel can be turned aside. The magic must be performed at Afar - where the hakima's store of contracts is kept - and if they are forced to flee they will have to abandon their library of debts as well as their homes.

The Grendel have sent armies into the shadows of Spiral.

Stone

At the start of the year, the Druj sent their armies into Spiral. Beneath the ever-present shadow of the Black Plateau, they conquered Ossuary and claimed the heart of Spiral itself. They even managed to press down into Apulus on the southern coast before retreating back into Zenith.

Six months later, Spiral is invaded again - but from the opposite direction. A month after the Summer Solstice, reports come from contested Apulus of several thousand orcs of the Broken Shore crossing through the southern mountains into Spiral. They move cautiously, taking pains to avoid any Imperial entanglement.

Technically, the Grendel still control Apulian - despite there being both an Imperial and a Druj presence in the region - and they are able to move through the coastal area unimpeded. Some of the soldiers are clearly here to set up a base of operations in Apulus; they divert away from the main column toward the town. There are some Imperial forces still in the coastal settlement, but their supplies are already strained by the presence of Druj guerillas; the Empire is forced to abandon their positions and draw back to more defensive spires along the western borders of the region.

The banners of the Brine Turtles and the Black Eels now fly over Apulian.

The main thrust of the invasion is to the north-east, into Apstrus. It was here that the Grendel suffered their crushing defeat at the hands of Imperial forces during the Battle of Solen's Doubt. Now they are returning in force. In the absence of any significant defenders, they quickly and methodically take control of the region. it is not a populous region; far from the Block the protective spells used to allow mortals to dwell under the oppressive shadow of Screed become unreliable. The bulk of those who had returned to spires there had already retreated westward when the Druj invasion cut the territory in half. Those who remain, some are now sealed in their Spires sending desperate messages via the Heliopticon while others have been overrun by orc soldiers.

With nobody to resist them, the orcs quickly conquer Apstrus... and with it the balance of power in Spiral shifts against the Empire. With only three regions remaining in Imperial hands, Spiral ceases to be part of the Empire. It is not a Grendel territory, any more than it is a Druj territory. But it is not Imperial.

Once Apstrus is secure, the Grendel armies shift their focus back towards Apulian, establishing a command post in the town of Apulus and a second on the southern border near one of the largest passes back into Mareave.

There is little doubt the orcs of the Broken Shore have suffered for their invasion. Like the Druj before them, they may not have encountered serious opposition from the Empire but the Black Plateau inflicts suffering of its own on any mortals who spend extended periods of time away from the safety of the Urizen spires. Whatever else they may claim in Spiral, the Grendel armies have also gathered a harvest of madness, despair, savagery, and death.

The Grendel do not move unnoticed through Urizen. There are scouts even in Apstrus - hard-bitten Urizen, veterans of the war in Spiral, elite sentinels equipped with magical items that allow them to resist the grim oppression that hangs over Spiral like a cloud of insanity. They say that the orcs have brought powerful magicians of their own with them, and confirm that whatever else they are doing the Grendel are taking precautions. Shortly before the Autumn equinox the Heliopticon messages from the south-easternmost corner of the Empire confirm that healing rains have begun to fall across Spiral providing some limited protection from the worst effects of the awakened Black Plateau. There are also hints of powerful enchantment on the two orc armies, most likely from the Day realm, that grants them additional discipline and brings with it a peculiar sense of calm. Whatever else it does, it clearly helps to mitigate some of the worst effects of the oppressive aura that hangs over Spiral.

With the Autumn Equinox approaching, the situation is that Spiral is no longer an Imperial territory. Most of the people are centred along the eastern borders - in Ateri, Cinon, and Ankra, turning their attention to the protection of their Spires, and sending increasingly worried messages to their cousins in Redoubt and Morrow, fearful for the future. Still, when the Empire finally liberated Spiral in the Summer of 382YE they lost one and a half thousand soldiers in a single season just to the influence of the Black Plateau. The Urizen huddled in their spires may be unhappy that the territory has fallen to the barbarians again, but it is hard to blame the Empire for its reticence to send armies into the haunted wastelands of Spiral.

Game Information : Spiral

The Druj control Screed and Ossuary, the Empire control Ankra, Ateri, and Cinion. The Grendel control Apstrus and Apulian. Nobody controls the territory and Spiral is no longer Imperial - meaning among other things that it cannot be targeted from the Imperial Regio and the senator for Spiral has lost their seat.

Apulian is contested by three forces. The Grendel control the region, but their hold is somewhat precarious. The Druj are half way towards caliming the region, but have no active forces in the territory (as far as anyone can tell). The Empire is barely present - they have little more than a toehold in the region.

With the loss of Spiral, the Citadel Guard are once again lacking in support. Consequently, after the Autumn Equinox they will begin to decline once again.

Finally, the remaining citizens of Spiral are forced to turn their attention toward the defence of their spires. As such the Doyen of the Spires' rate of codification has dropped back from 20 to 15 until such time as Spiral is an Imperial territory once more.

The Druj have returned to Holberg

Fire

There are more than twenty thousand Druj warriors in Holberg.

It's not entirely clear how long they have been there when the news of the massive orc force reaches the city proper. A month? Six weeks? They were certainly not present before the Summer Solstice. But there were reports of Druj activity in Holberg during the summit - of League heroes engaging orc scouts on the shores of the Semmerlak. What was taken at first to be an isolated group of opportunistic raiders in retrospect appears to be a symptom of something more serious.

The first real evidence that there may be a more significant invasion force in the eastern League territory come from scattered reports of stealthy orc scouts in the marshes of the Morass and Rebeshof and Ennerlund; of a small caravan of Imperial merchants travelling through Misericorde toward the new Sand Fisher settlement on the shores of the Semmerlak disappearing without a trace; and of encounters between wide patrols and suspiciously well equipped and dangerous "bandits" in the eaves of Utterlund.

One such patrol raises real concern at Holberg when it is reported as two days overdue. The sole surviving member is eventually pulled from a stinking pool east of the Great Pits of Ennerlund, delerious and on the brink of death. The miners listen to her raving and swiftly dispatch runners to the city to deliver the scout's message:

"The Druj are coming!"

Immediately the garrison of Holberg mobilises. Contingencies prepared years previously are put into operation; a number of people living outside the walls in the gentrified district of Holmauer leave their homes and move to the upper city, to the safety of Holfried. There is little doubt that the largest fortification in the Empire - one of the largest defensive structures in the entire Known World - will protect the people from any number of orcs. But what about the people who do not live behind those walls? The miners of Ennerlund? The farmers and herbalists of the Morass and Rebeshof? The woodcutters of Utterlund?

What about the Sand Fishers?

Following the vague report of the surviving scout, the defenders of Holberg confirm that the worst has happened. A major Druj force has invaded Holberg across the river from Farweald, and established armed camps along the eastern borders. It is very difficult to gather any real information about their dispositions or deployment; the garrisons focus is on protecting the people of Holberg rather than scouting the enemy.

It's clear the Druj are already some way toward claiming Utterlund; the garrison of Holberg and two small Free Companies do what they can but nobody is much inclined to enter the woods themselves. Not with thousands of Druj. Not with the... bodies... of the missing scouts, hanging in pieces from the trees along the edge of the forest. From the expressions on the impaled heads, those Imperials who have fallen into the hands of the Druj here did not die easily, or quickly.

Over the next month, the Druj continue to press into Utterlund. They send scouts and saboteurs south into Ennerlund, but they quickly retreat when they encounter any resistance. They also apparently send warbands north, into the Sand Fisher-controlled region of Misericorde...

The Sand Fishers are terrified when they learn of the Druj presence in Holberg. According to the orcs, some of their hunters and foresters have already gone missing, or been found skinned and staked out or hanging from trees. They are in absolutely no doubt as to why the orcs are here; to punish them for leaving Ossium. To punish them for cooperating with the Imperials. They are desperate - paralysed with fear - with the certain knowledge that the orcs of the Mallum intend to make a terrible example of them. They send messengers to the people of Holberg, pleading for their protection.

A League patrol confirms the Sand Fisher's worst fears. It is impossible for the defenders to be sure what is going on in the woods of Utterlund, but the evidence suggests that the Druj invasion forces are trying to establish a beachhead. They could have attacked Ennerlund, but their decision to focus their efforts in Utterlund lends some credence to the Sand Fisher's fears that the orcs of the Mallum are there for revenge, not conquest.

A large band of elite arkad warriors drawn from the cruel Black Wind and stealthy Arrow Viper armies are moving north-west through the woods of Holberg making for the Sand Fisher settlements. Lead by a Tepel apothecary, there is no doubt that if they reach the banks of the Semmerlak they will be able to slaughter hundreds of practically defenceless orcs. It is too late for the garrison of Holberg to intercept this force before they reach the Sand Fishers.

There is still hope, however. There is a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate available that could be used to place Imperial heroes between the Druj and their prey. The battle would be savage indeed, but if the Druj are defeated not only would it prevent an atrocity, it would send them a clear indication that the Empire intends to fight for the Sand Fishers. To defend them against the Mallum orcs. Combined with the other efforts the League and the Imperial Orcs are making to help the Sand Fishers begin new lives in Holberg, this would greatly increase the orcs' confidence in the Empire and in the beneficence of their human neighbours.

Assuming the Druj can be deafeated, of course. The orcs of the Mallum will have no intention of making that easy.

A fortnight before the Autumn Equinox a foul rain begins to fall across Holberg; a rain horribly familiar to those who lived through the Druj occupation. It fouls every water source. It corrupts the marshes with sickness and raises clouds of buzzing blood-hungry, disease bearing insects wherever it falls. The rivers run red with the taint of corrupt Spring magic.

Game Information : Holberg

The Druj are nearly three quarters of the way toward claiming Utterlund. The only factor that has prevented them from doing so is the presence of the immense, well-garrisoned walls of Holberg. In the absence of the fortification, they would easily have claimed the entire forested region and begun to make inroads elsewhere. There is a good chance they might have been successful in establishing their beach head had the walls not been raised to their current splendor by the Imperial Senate.

The inky-black skies of Holberg make it difficult to gather information magically or scry the forests, but even so it is impossible to miss the fact that there is a cruel army in Holberg this season. Indeed, it is clear that the army has been engaged in a merciless onslaught as part of the invasion, tormenting and executing any who fall into their hands.

There also appears to be an army engaging in gathering intelligence in Holberg - there is no doubt they now know where the Sand Fishers are, and have assessed the relative defences of the city itself.

It also appears that there is an army with some kind of magical ability in Holberg; the Spring magic spreading across the territory makes that obvious. It is not clear at this time what other magics they may be working in eastern forests.

Finally, the civil service confirm that major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate have been identified that will allow the Military Council to send Imperial heroes directly to stop the murderous Druj intent on slaughtering the Sand Fishers. Intercepting the attack will save many lives, but will also have a profound effect on how the orcs - both the Sand Fishers and the orcs of Ossium when they hear of it - view their new neighbours in Holberg, showing that the oppressive cruelty of the Druj is no match for the strength and determination of the Empire.

The Jotun have crossed the border into Bregasland.

Water

A fortnight after the Summer Solstice, news filters down from the North Fens that a Jotun force has crossed the border into Bregasland. It quickly becomes apparent that the army marches under the banner of the Bear-Who-Swims - the same army that struck into Liathaven in Spring, then lead the attack into Kharaman before the Summer Solstice. They seem adept at driving into Imperial territory, especially undefended territory.

The territory is not undefended however. The Bregas beaters and household militias of Greywater are not enough to challenge the Jotun warriors by themselves, but there is magic at work in the northern fens and marshes. As they have done many times before, the Sussivari Frost Coven of Wintermark have woven fog and water together to lay a powerful protective spell over North Fens, and over Bregasland as a whole. The marshes are treacherous enough as it is, but under the guidance of the Night magic unleashed there they actively oppose the Jotun invaders, leading them astray, separating their warriors, and drawing them into precarious situations. At the same time, the magic supports and protects the scattered defenders of the Bregas households, hiding them with conveniently timed shrouds of mist or driving rain, or providing safe avenues to retreat that sink beneath the water before the Jotun can use them. It also rouses the rum beasts of the western marshes. From the giant marshspiders that lurk beneath the surface of murky meres to the drifting ghostlights that trick the unwary to their doom, all seem to focus their attention on the approaching Jotun. Furthermore, there are reports of strange creatures that are clearly not of mundane origin - figures that seem to coalesce out of the mist and darkness to strike at the flanks of Jotun scouts; great bat-like things with glowing amethyst eyes that strike from the night sky without warning; and pale glowing hounds that warn of approaching invaders with ghostly howls.

The Jotun flounder in the enchanted marshes of North Fens for a week or more, making no progress, harried by beasts and beaters, and subject to the cruel whims of the marshes themselves. If it had just been Bear-Who-Swims alone it is unlikely they would have made much headway into Bregasland, and the enchantment on North fens would most likely have forced them to retreat back into Narkyst with their tails between their legs.

But they are not alone.

Just as it seems the invasion is going to amount to a whole lot of nothing, another thirty thousand Jotun troops crash out of the west into North Fens. Following the scouts of the Bear-Who-Swims, they make straight for Greywater. While the magical force protecting the Fens slows their advance, there are simply too many of them. The settlement falls within a week, and the Jotun spread out across the entire region. They give the stone at Fisher's Rock a wide berth, but the scattered households of the North Fens are quickly conquered by troops under the banner of the Southern Bear.

The Jotun waste no time - as North Fens fall they are already pressing south into Grey Fens. Away from the heart of the Night magic that plagued their attack in the north, they find it significantly easier to navigate the grim meres and infrequent settlements. There are few Marcher inhabitants of the Grey Fens - between the dead meres, and the rum beasts, and the rumours presence of a major Feni tribe here, as well as the ever-present threat of adventurous Jotun champions seeking to make a name for themselves by raiding out of the Blutgahn marshes of Hordalant, there are few Bregas to slow the Jotun advance.

At first there is little that villagers can do to stand against more than thirty thousand Jotun - Jotun who seem to have set aside their superstitious dislike of marshes as they put aside their dread of deep forests when they invaded Liathaven all those years ago. Grey Fens falls, as did North Fens before it. As the Autumn Equinox draws near, the western borders of Bregasland are claimed by the Jotun. If it had not been for the foresight of the Sussivari, and the magical defences they had put in place, either Ottermire or the Rushes would likewise have fallen to the surprise attack of the orcs - and the territory of Bregasland likewise.

Their conquest is not entirely unopposed however; the people of Ottery and Sallow put aside their internecine bickering to focus their attention on the threat from outside. They work with the townsfolk of Graven Rock to do whatever they can to impede the orcs, and the magic loose in the marsh offers them what assistance it can. These are Marcher folk, and they do not give up land lightly. A number of the defiant yeofolk make for Bill Sabbey, a monastery consisting of a small collection of wooden buildings situated on what counts as a 'hill' in Bregasland on the edges of Ottermire. Here the abbot warms hearts with rousing sermons of courage and drowns sorrows with a combination of strong Brega spirits and powerful potions.

The Sabbey monks are well known and well liked, not only among their fellow Bregas but across the Marches. Their renown is partly for their extensive collection of tales of Bolstering Bill and partly for their skills as expert brewers and skilled apothecaries. The strong spirits brewed at Bill Sabbey are popular as far afield as Tassato and doses of elixir vitae stamped with Bill's smiling face, the Abbey's imprimatur command a good price. The sensible thing to do would be to abandon the Abbey and retreat in the face of the Jotun advance, but these folks are not minded to be sensible. Instead they plan to make a defiant stand against the Jotun to send a message across the Marches to think of Bolstering Bill and to "see what their neighbours can do to help"...

Lily Guildenstern is making the breadbasket available to all those wishing to celebrate Marcher traditions and beliefs at fayre or fete or upcoming wassail. Use this bounty to draw Marcher and Mournwold Orc from near and far, to bring our community together, so none is left a stranger, and all can benefit from closer ties between market town and households.

Anna Perrin, Statement of Principle, Marcher National Assembly, Summer 383YE

It's a good time for such a gesture following the announcement by the Keeper of the Breadbasket that they would spread the bounty of the breadbasket across Mitwold, Upwold, and Bregasland, to strengthen Marcher traditions coupled with the statement in the Synod by Anna Perrin seeking to bring the community together, so none is left a stranger, and all can benefit from closer ties. If the Empire can demonstrate real commtiment to these words by ensuring the Abbey does not fall then it will rally spirits across the Marches.

If that happens then folk who are sick and tired of the Jotun threatening their lands will be ready to put aside their differences and take up arms to defend their neighbours. A common militia of yeomanry, the like of which has not been seen since the reign of Emperor James, would form up to take the battle to the Jotun. Such a force could never defeat the Jotun host by themselves, but they'd fight the Jotun for every inch of (marshy) soil and would be an invaluable ally to any Imperial army fighting in the Marches. Everyone could play a role - even some of the Mournwold orcs have offered to help, bringing victuals and essential supplies to the Marchers fighting in Bregasland (and should the Marcher synod make up its mind about the orcs' place in the nation, many more would likely be prepared to offer their aid).

At present their cause seems doomed - the Jotun forces are already perilously close to the monastery and will likely overrun it any day soon. The Empire will need to move fast if they wish to save them.

Game Information : Bregasland

Two regions of Bregasland - Grey Fens and North Fens - are now under Jotun control. The territory remains Imperial, but if another region is lost to the barbarians the territory will fall.

While it is possible for armies to travel from West Marsh in Kallavesa to North Fens, it is not possible to cross the Westmere into Ottermire; Imperial (or Jotun) forces will need to go through Mitwold if they wish to reach Ottermire (or Kallavesa Marsh).

The Jotun domination of Grey Fens has significant implications for Liathaven; it is now not possible for Imperial armies to reach West Ranging or West Wood without going through the Jotun controlled regions or first creating a new beach head in Liaven's Glen, Liath's Ring, or Liaven's Glen.

There are major conjunctions available on both days of the summit that would allow the heroes of Anvil to travel via the Sentinel Gate to the lands at the bounds of Bill Sabbey in Ottermire. If heroes are able to defend the Abbey against the approaching Jotun then the monks will take news of the victory across the Marches encouraging everyone they speak to to take up arms and fight against this latest invasion.