Colourblind

Marion i Riqueza managed, somehow, to dodge out of the way, swinging her staff wildly as she did so. It connected with the thing's shoulder, and to her horror its entire arm came off. It just broke apart, into lumps of dry meat, splintered bone, and ash. Despite the crippling injury, the thing didn't stop. A mortal would at least have recoiled in pain, but the thing simply reached for her with its remaining arm, its face horribly blank.

She ducked away. Ran, kicking up dust and ash that made her eyes water. The thing pursued a few steps then seemed to lose interest, instead stumbling to join the group surrounding the remaining kohan. She risked a glance behind her. Two were down, only poor brave Mika still fighting on, buying her the time she needed to escape. She let out a strangled sob when she saw him go down under the mass of parched bodies.

She was alone, now, except for these horrible, parched creatures. Alone in this terrible blight, sucked dry of life and colour but some terrible Winter magic. She needed to survive, needed to tell people what they'd learned, or the deaths of the kohan and her fellow hakima would have been pointless.

One of the horrors that attacked them was unlike the others, something new, something they hadn't seen before. It held back when the pack of dehydrated horrors had come stumbling forward through the dead, bone-dry trees, letting the others engage the kohan. While there was still a little colour in the garb of the other Parched Ones, this one wore a simple, very un-Freeborn, black hooded robe, a stark contrast to its sun-baked, flaking, ashen skin. During the attack, it had raised a stick-thin finger and pointed toward her, specifically, letting out a terrible hissing-groaning noise that all but froze them in place. She felt it draining all the strength from her, leaving her unable to think straight. Even if she had the energy for another spell, she doubted she could concentrate enough to cast it. The others had to be warned.

Marion couldn't run any more. She crouched behind a ruined stone wall, desperately trying to catch her breath, wishing she had some water left to clear her eyes, and soothe her ragged throat. She gasped, and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that when the end came it would be quick.

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, and she was jerked unceremoniously to her feet. Not one of the horrors, but a compact woman dressed entirely in black apart from a silver pin on her lapel in the shape of a marrowort bloom. About all Marion could see of her face were her eyes, full of a maniacal energy, sandwiched between a peculiar long-nosed leather mask that covered her mouth, nose, and chin, and a broad-brimmed hat. The woman spat a few words, invoking the Gancio river and asking it to wash away her pains.

"Are you alright?" asked the League woman briskly. The spell had taken barely a moment to cast, and Marion felt the fog of confusion clearing, the terrible weariness lifting from her.

"I think so," she stammered.

"Good!" said the newcomer. "Then run!"

They ran. The League magician had a death-grip on her hand, dragging the Freeborn magician in her wake as she sprinted through the dead trees. Behind them, a dreadful multi-throated, rattling groan told her the Parched were in pursuit, stumbling full-tilt after them.

"We're nearly out!" shouted her rescuer, without looking round, putting on a burst of speed that Marion just managed to match, her heart pounding in her chest. "I'm Doctor von Holberg by the way! What's your name?"

"Marion... Marion I Riqueza," she gasped, her lungs burning, only a bubbling cocktail of terror and desperation giving her the strength to keep up.

"Nice to meet you Marion i Riqueza!" Up ahead, Marion saw the edge of the blight. A quartet of League archers, crossbows at the ready, and two Urizeni sentinels in glittering crystalline mage armour, held defensive positions at the mouth of a narrow gulley behind them, she could just make out a cluster of tents, a white-cup-on-green flag fluttering in the air above them. "Now run for your life!"

The dead land has no life, no colour, no water. Only a parched and arid wasteland remains.

Overview

Following the Autumn Equinox last year, a strange blight was found to be growing at the heart of the Great Grasses in Madruga. Following a timely warning from the Freeborn Assembly, initial investigations discovered that the blight was home to, and being spread by, horrible desiccated monsters that might once have been human. The hakima who first examined the site asked the Imperial Conclave to send one of the orders to help them. Fausta Ankarien, Grandmaster of the Silver Chalice, volunteered their own order to offer assistance, and the Conclave concurred. The Archmage of Spring, Ibiss Briarheart also asked Lord Rain to provide aid if he could, and while busy all over the Empire following the invocation of an Imperial enchantment, he duly sent some of his friends and heralds to see how they could help.

As the Spring Equinox draws closer, the results of the extended investigation and efforts to deal with the blight bear some dry, bitter fruit.

Diagnosis

• Magicians of the Silver Chalice have come to Madruga to find a way to deal with the blight on the Great Grasses
• They are working with Freeborn hakima and kohan, and with friends of Ossegrahn here at the request of the Archmage of Spring
• The blight seems to be a form of Winter magic, and is related to horrible monsters that are drawn to moisture

The first step towards curing any sickness is understanding it. The investigations of the Silver Chalice have revealed several pieces of disquieting information. They have uncovered the source of the phenomenon - the origin point of the torrent of dry, choking malice that threatens to overcome the Grasses - and it seems any solution will need to deal with this.

The undead husks that have been observed in the areas overtaken by the blight feed somehow on the moisture inside all living things. The appearance of the husks - referred to variously by Silver Chalice magicians as Ashwalkers, and the Parched, are nothing like the more familiar unliving husks produced by Quickening Cold Meat. Nor are they like the unfortunate victims of the Virus Lunarae, where a spirit is temporarily bound into their own dead or dying flesh and driven mad. These things are formed from those that have died within the desertified land, but only those who have specifically come into contact with one of the Parched. The land is making people sick with thirst, but it's these desiccated monsters that are creating more of their kind.

After some time working in triage and treatment of the afflicted, they have ascertained that in effect the thirst, when it sets about someone, works similarly to a traumatic wound. It can be treated reasonably easily - fresh, clean water poured liberally into any open sores on the body accompanied by rigorous hydration is effective at purging the curse provided it has not spread too far. This is difficult to apply at scale, and were the desert to reach a well-populated area the situation would become dire very quickly. It's almost impossible to apply within the area of the blight - all standing bodies of water are absorbed. Fresh water brought into the blighted area attracts the Ashwalkers in large numbers, and they greedily consume it.

The Parched are not simply victims, however. Their presence perpetuates and sustains the thirsting desert. Removing the blight while they are still present in numbers will be all but impossible.

Several kohan guarding the magicians of the Chalice report encounters with a small number of extremely powerful Dry Ones. They embody the parching nature of the blight, seeming to have the form of ancient, mummified corpses, dressed in peculiar garb like that of the Brass Coast but with a much starker colour scheme. No Freeborn would be seen dead wearing so much white or black cloth, and each one of them seems to favour a very un-Freeborn hooded or cowled robe. A historian among the Hakima claims that if anything these robes are reminiscent of the kind of garb some pre-Highguard patricians would wear... which leads to the kohan christening these more powerful creatures the Dry Patricians or Navigators of the Waste. Most of those encountered so far have been identified as members of the Aldea di Tutamen family; there's speculation all of them are members of the immediate family.

A brave group of Silver Chalice magicians and Freeborn Hakima manage to corner one of the Dry Patricians and work to try and find a way to destroy it. It appears that they are composed more of ash, sand, and dust than of meat and bone. While they can be brought down by weapons and spells, they can't be destroyed by such mundane means. Fortunately there are magicians among the group who are able to employ divinations such as Bright Lantern of Ophis or Wisdom of the Balanced Blade, and they are able to get very valuable information.

The Walkers of the Waste

• There are two kinds of monster related to the blight
• The more powerful need to be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual at magnitude 18 as if they were artifacts
• The less powerful and more numerous kind should be dispersed with Turns the Circle
• There is a chance that any of the ashen horrors could over time develop into a more powerful form
• Unless the majority of the more powerful version can be destroyed, it will be impossible to shrink or destroy the blight

The blight in the Great Grasses originates, as suspected, with the Aldea di Tutamen. The Dry Patricians are members of the family infused with a devastating Winter magic curse - one they brought upon themselves in pursuit of the very un-Freeborn end of physical immortality. Their humanity has been utterly erased by the winter resonances of preservation and unquenchable thirst. Wherever they go they suck all the moisture out of the air and soil in a desperate attempt to slake their unending, parched thirst but the nature of the curse makes this impossible. Instead, they simply spread the ashen blight wherever they go. In theory, if they could be contained for long enough they would become dormant - but unfortunately they wouldn't die.

One thing that definitely doesn't work, one of the first things tried, is the exorcism ceremony. Further investigation with the Insight ceremony reveals that they have no aura - they are not humans, orcs, creatures of the realm, ghosts, or "other". This most likely means they are not "alive" in any sense that the insight ceremony can register, and it gathers no information about them. They have been transformed in such a way that they are arguably no longer people at all, but artifacts of the blight. This strongly suggests they are not human souls trapped in dead bodies, or corpses animated by spirits, or anything else, so it is unsurprising that the exorcism ceremony cannot get a purchase on them. There's nothing to dispel. This also explains why the ward Hold Back Frozen Hunger doesn't seem to noticeably impede them - although they are not alive, they are also not undead. Or at least not undead in the way that ritual can discern. However, it does seem likely that a specific ward could be created to weaken these specific creatures - to mimic the effect of Hold Back Frozen Hunger and similar rituals - but it would need an arcane projection to create.

Wisdom of the Balanced Blade, however, reveals a way they can be defeated.

The Winter divination reveals that the Dry Patricians can ultimately be destroyed only by the ritual Words of Ending, which tears apart the magic that is sustaining them. It attacks the ashen core that has infused their tissues and filled them with Winter magic. The ritual will need to be performed at magnitude 18 - as if the Navigator of Waste were an artefact. There is some speculation that they might actually be more similar to ushabti than humans or orcs, although there is no easy way of proving such a theory.

Fortunately there seem to be only a handful of these Dry Patricians however. The majority of the monsters encountered in the blight are innocent members of the household, people who have fallen prey to the spreading curse, or those who've died in the area. The magic that infuses them is significantly less powerful - they are still physically similar to normal humans, although their flesh is badly desiccated. Again, Insight provides no information about them - they are objects rather than creatures.

Unfortunately, examination of the Parched shows signs that some, not all of them but some - are very slowly transforming into Dry Patricians themselves. Containing the blight seems to have significantly slowed down the transformation, but it is still happening. There's nothing to explain what the difference between the Parched who are transforming and those who show no sign of change might be. Like the more powerful monsters, simply incapacitating them will only slow them down for a time - cutting them apart seems ineffective. Over time the parts come back together and the creature gets back up again. Luckily it requires significantly less potent magic to deal with them. Turns the Circle, a straightforward ritual of Spring Magic, will reduce an incapacitated Ashwalker to dry leaves. Examination of these leaves shows no lingering signs of the curse.

The question of who created this phenomenon - and it is absolutely one that has been created - remains a matter for investigation once the immediate threat is contained and dealt with. What the Silver Chalice has now, is remedies.

The Sound of Water

• The followers of Lord Rain provide fresh water from the Spring realm that acts as a lure for the monsters of the blighted desert

When the nature of the danger is better understood, the friends of Ossegrahn - a handful of magicians and a few heralds of the watery eternal - put their heads together and present a suggestion. There is a certain spring they know of whose water is supernaturally pure and fresh. A few drops are enough to quench any thirst. The waters are infused with some of the healing essence of Spring - like that which comes with Rivers of Life but magnified significantly. They can provide a few flasks of this water. It will almost certainly attract the thirsty horrors of the wasteland, and then they can be dealt with.

There's some scepticism, but an experiment is quickly arranged and proves to be remarkably effective. A single cup of the water attracts two dozen Ashwalkers within minutes, and the heralds of Lord Rain say they will be able to provide several jugs of the potent water. Normally the followers of Father Tarn suggest avoiding violence, but in this case they are adamant that the threat needs to be dealt with. "These are not people any more," says a Holberg doctor who arrives with the heralds. "They are a sickness that must be remedied, and delivering that remedy will mean fighting."

OOC Note: Two ribbons for these jugs of water will be provided to the Grandmaster of the Silver Chalice; they can use whatever physrep feels appropriate. The water quenches thirst but seems to have no other magical properties except for the fact that a whole jug of this water drunk over the space of an hour or so will completely remove the Gnawing, Endless Hunger curse from an individual.

Participation

• Any member of the Silver Chalice order is encouraged to roleplay their involvement in the investigation

Any member of the Silver Chalice is encouraged to roleplay that they took part in this investigation. The ritual results mentioned above might have been uncovered by your coven if you can perform one of those rituals, and likewise the insight and exorcism results. Crystal mana costs are handwaved here - the Silver Chalice order as a whole is considered to have provided the mana and liao needed as part of volunteering to help. You may also have ventured into the desert - while dangerous short periods of exposure don't leave any lasting damage as long as one is suitably hydrated. One odd effect the blighted area has is that it sometimes leeches colour out of things, especially cloth. If you have a suitable piece of clothing or cloth that is faded, bleached, or otherwise ruined, you might claim that used to be something much brighter or more vibrant - especially if you are a Freeborn character - and that the desert sucked all the pigment out of it.

The Parched Land (Conjunction)

• There's an opportunity to destroy some of the Dry Patricians
• The Sentinel Gate will open at 20:15 on Saturday to the Dry Patch, the Great Grasses, Madruga
• Dealing with the Dry Patricians requires significant ritual magic - covens capable of performing Words of Ending and Turns the Circle will be needed
• The Grandmaster of the Silver Chalice is responsible for organising this attempt to deal with the Dry Patrician

So far, none of the Dry Patricians have been destroyed, and even uncovering the information about how it might be done has claimed several lives. It's clear that direct, decisive action is called for. Without the Navigators of the Waste, the Parched will be less of a problem, and it may become possible to either remove the blight or permanently contain it. The water provided by Ossegrahn will allow the Silver Chalice to quickly attract one or more of the remaining Dry Patricians to one spot, and present a chance to deal with them once and for all.

It will also, unfortunately, attract Ashwalkers that will also need to be dealt with. A conjunction of the Sentinel Gate has been located to an area on the very edge of the blight, deep within the Great Grasses. Luring the Dry Patricians and their minions out of the blight proper is risky - and will likely see the area where the fight takes place destroyed even if the Silver Chalice heroes are victorious - but fighting them within the boundary of the blight itself is riskier still. It might still be wise to ensure that any expedition through the Sentinel Gate is equipped with sufficient potions and herbs, as well as healing magic, to deal with any eventuality.

Success will discover just how hard it is to unmake the Dry Patricians, and that information will allow other covens to use similar methods to deal with a number of the creatures. Hopefully, enough of them will be destroyed to allow a permanent solution to the problem. Failure will mean that it will be impossible to restore the Grasses, and the blight will need to be contained through active magic use. Success will not on its own restore the Grasses, but it will turn a critical problem into a chronic one: “the triage will be over, and recovery will begin”. The question of who is ultimately responsible for this disaster remains open.

The Salt Land

• The ashen blight resists magical methods of removing it
• The Dry Patricians support, sustain, and replenish the blight by their presence

Regrow the Land's Heart can hold the blight in check, but it shows no signs of being able to reverse it. As previously discovered, a territory-wide enchantment (or curse) of Spring magic that brings rain, or raises waters, will help contain the blight. The Sails of the First Flame coven of the Brass Coast laid Regrow the Lands Heart over Madruga, and that seems to have prevented the blight getting any worse. Along with their subsequent invocation of Hallow of the Green World, they helped provide an opportunity for the hakima and Silver Chalice magicians to investigate in relative safety. Lives were still lost, however.

At the moment, the Silver Chalice have not been able to find a solution to the blight. For the time being, it would be wise to continue to use ritual magic to protect the rest of the Great Grasses, and ultimately Madruga, from being transformed into a dead desert.

Some of the Navarr members of the Silver Chalice involved in the investigation draw unsettling parallels between the blight and the vallorn. It's clear, they are quick to point out, that this isn't an equivalent threat. The problem is that once the Winter magic has sucked all the life and moisture out of an area, it is incredibly hard to restore that area. The magic is constantly renewing itself - or as one Urizen stargazer points out, it is as if the desiccated area is no longer entirely part of the mortal world but an extrusion from the Winter realm itself. Nobody likes that idea, and the stargazer can't back it up with any evidence, fortunately. But it's still a bit worrying.

For now, though, everything hinges on the outcome of the trip through the Sentinel Gate. After that, there may be future opportunities to come up with a more permanent way to contain the blight, or replenish the land it has devoured.

Unanswered Questions

• Wisdom of the Balanced Blade provides insight into the situation
• There is still no sign of why this blight appeared

The blight itself is clearly a curse, and Wisdom of the Balanced Blade provides some limited answers. The curse sucks all the life out of the land, turning it into a desert of ash and dust. It's spread by the desiccated monsters - dry patricians and ashwalkers alike. It will last indefinitely if nobody interferes. It can be removed, but it will require a lot of water, and the desiccated monsters will need to be dealt with first. It can be made worse if more people go into the area, become infected with the curse of the Parched, and turn into monsters themselves. It would also be made worse if any ritual that desiccated, dries, or destroys water were laid over the area (such as The Flower is Withered on the Stalk, coincidentally just entered into Imperial lore by the Conclave). The curse ultimately comes from the dry monsters themselves; they spread it.

The curse on the monsters - the Navigators of the Waste and the Parched - provides similar results. They are a vector for a curse, and it fills them up with Winter magic. The curse will last indefinitely unless it is removed. It can be removed with ritual magic - Words of Ending for the Dry Patricians, Turns the Circle for the Ashwalkers. Rituals that desiccate or destroy water will make the curse worse, just as they will worsen the blight itself. The curse has come from the Winter realm itself - not an eternal but from the magical realm sometimes called the Wasteland. How it got from there to here, Wisdom of the Balanced Blade does not reveal.

The only clue is that the blight clearly started at the isolated estate of the Aldea di Tutamen. They were a very old, very insular Freeborn family who evidently traced their roots back to the exodus from Highguard and beyond. It seems like no coincidence that some of those who have encountered them have dubbed them Dry Patricians. The other families of the Great Grasses say that there was always something a little off about the Aldea di Tutamen. They often didn't append the name of one of the three founders to their name for example, and they rarely invited sutannir to help them celebrate the important moments that life throws up. Beyond that, and the fact they raised sheep and traded sheep-products at the markets in Siroc and Quzar, nobody really knows a lot about them. It may be that they're the victims of malice, or that they brought this on themselves, or that some kind of accident has set their transformation and the creation of the blight in motion.

Actually getting to their estates is impossible at this time; and there's no certainty there would be anything to find there anyway. Depending on the success of the Imperial heroes during the Equinox, it might be possible to launch an expedition to their estate but for now, whatever evidence lies there (if any) is beyond the reach of even the Silver Chalice.

One possibility might be to commission historical research into the Aldea di Tutamen. In theory it is also possible that one of the rituals that gains guidance from an eternal - Swim Leviathan's Depth, Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River, or Combing the Beach might help, but those rituals have significant restrictions on what they can uncover.

The first has already been tried and Leviathan has confirmed that he knows nothing - there is no underlying historical root cause for the blight's appearance that he is aware of. Of the other two, the Clear Counsel to ask Sung for her assistance with a mystery might be the most effective, but any answer the enigmatic eternal provides will no doubt need extensive interpretation.

One of the Winter eternals might know more - especially given the blight's obvious connection to the Winter realm - but they're notoriously closed mouthed about things like this and judging by the information gained through Wisdom of the Balanced Blade, it doesn't seem the curse is directly connected to any of the inhabitants of the Wasteland.