Shining like fire
Claus, his eyes on the dark windows of the country house, looked around nervously as his sister began to methodically examine the old urn. All it would take would be for one of his aunt Olga's retainers, out of bed looking for a midnight snack, to glance out of the wrong window at the wrong time and everything would fall apart.
"Violette, we are going to get into so much trouble," he said trying to keep the whining note from his voice. "Seriously, after last time she said she'd get the militia. I don't see what...."
"That's your problem Claus," snapped Violette without looking at him. "You don't see. You don't see anything and never have and I... look there's no time for this. Bring me the light."
He knelt next to her, unhooding the little lantern cupped in his palm. The Mestran mountebank had called it a thieves' lamp, and laughed, and the recollection made Claus shiver despite the warmth of the night. He did not want to be dragged in front of the magistrates with a thieves' lamp on his person. What was Violette looking for?
"Do you remember when we used to come here as children?" His sister had moved to the urn on the other side of the garden steps, repeating her careful examination, using her long sensitive fingers as much as her eyes in the near perfect darkness.
It had been a long time ago, but Claus did remember. Their grandmother had been unwell as long as he had known her, but in those last few months they made regular trips out to Enterio to visit her. The old woman was always so glad to see them; the nurse said it was one of the few things that made her actually smile, and that their presence helped keep the Old Wolf at bay. His thoughts jumped track, as they so often did, and he wondered what had happened to the nurse. Aunt Olga had fired her the day after the funeral, he recalled.
"We used to play in the garden," he said, his eye turned inward. "I remember climbing the trees. Grandmother used to call me by father's name but it didn't upset me as much as it did him. I think we were happy?"
"Yes, yes," said Violette brusquely. "Very happy. But that was before she took everything away from us. Anyway. yesterday I was watching the children in the street playing hide-and-kick-the-beggar and I suddenly remembered. That last visit, the one before she died. The nurse had rolled her out onto the patio here, and all the adults were inside arguing. Grandmother said something to me, about how she had no more future left but ours was right in front of us and she would make sure it was as bright as the Shining Pillar. She was sat right here but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at the flowers. She patted my hand and said it was all taken care of."
"I don't..." He didn't get far before she cut him off.
"Don't you see? She was fading fast and she thought someone was stealing from her - her jewelry, things from around the house. She thought it was one of the retainers, you remember? That they were watching her and searching the house for her valuables? Well what if she realised she couldn't hide it in the house? What if she hid it out here, where she was happy, where nobody would look?"
Claus furrowed his forehead. This again. "Look that makes no..."
Violette sat back on her heels, suddenly. "One of the stones just shifted," she said. "Here, look. Bring the light down. I tell you this stone is loose."
He leant in, and after a little pushing and pulling, one of the old faded stone flags split in two and lifted away. Beneath, in a shallow hole, amongst a nest of disgruntled spiders, was a metal box. Violette carefully lifted it out, turning it over in her hands. From round her neck she pulled a thin chain with an ancient looking red key on it.
"Where did you...?" he began but his sister was paying no attention. She slipped the key into the lock. Turned it. The box opened. Inside, several neatly folded sheets of fine quality paper, marked with the crest of the Guild. Violette pulled his arm over so she could read them, handing each page to Claus as she finished it. They read together in silence.
"... Paragons and exemplars," swore Claus. "A second will. It did exist. All these years it was real. Oh Violette I am so sorry I ever doubted you."
"You can apologise later," she said "Look at the signatures. The witnessses."
He'd missed that detail, consumed with the knowledge that it was their father than should have received the mine, that there were sizable bequests for each of his children, that he had been favoured by their grandmother to follow in her footsteps as Prince of the Guild and not their Aunt Olga. Each page was signed by both witnesses, as was traditional. He gasped audibly.
"Aunt Olga!" he said. "And... Doctor Squaló! That... that duplicitous..." words failed him. "This... all this time. Those swines, those... they sat here in our house, getting rich off our mine, and the whole time they knew! They knew there was a second will! I'm going to... we should...."
"We're going to calm down," said Violette. "We're going to calm down, and we're going to take this first thing in the morning to the magistrates. And while we're doing that, our sweet sister is going to be going down to the river to speak to those merrow friends of hers, and then there is going to be a reckoning."
In the dim radiance of the lightstone, for the first time in years, she was the Violette he remembered from before the world had tried to crush her, to crush them all. Her eyes flashed with fury, but in her voice was a note of triumph, and he thought his heart might burst with pride before it had time to burst with anger.
"A reckoning," he echoed, and the two siblings shared a fierce grin in the dark garden, and hugged, and then slipped away to begin delivering to their Aunt and her collaborators the long overdue consequences they so richly deserved.
==Overview==
For the third time in as many seasons, the Empire is blanketed with a powerful Imperial enchantment. After Spring and then Autumn, the power of Day waxes ascendant. Multiple Urizen covens working together wove the complex cloak of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths during the Summer Solstice, and laid it gently over the entire Empire. The ritual has been performed only twice before in the course of Imperial history, once to combat a shortage of green iron and one to remove a dreadful curse. This time, sadly, the magic is more likely to be remembered for its catastrophic side effects.
Unlike the improvised magic of Bounty of the Brilliant Broker, the enchantment has certain predictable effects. Every mine in the Empire receives an additional bounty of ingots, as the divinatory and revalatory powers of the Day realm sweep across the land helping miners find the finest treasure buried deep beneath the ground. Those same resonances infuse the general population, sparking a rash of odd incidents of deja vu as people find themselves remembering things they had thought long forgotten - especially the location of lost items or memories discarded long ago.. At the same time, encounters with the Day realm in general become more common. People are more likely to encounter Day regio or find that existing regio aligned with Day have increased in potency. Perhaps most significantly of all, heralds of Day eternals and indeed the eternals of Day themselves become more active as the enchantment takes hold, becoming more interested in the activities of Imperial citizens.
And, as always with Imperial enchantments, even one drawing on the regimented magic of the Day realm, the potent magic inspires a number of unpredictable effects. All Imperial enchantments attract the attention of the eternals of the Realm, and in this case that has meant Cold Sun. The "invasion" of the destructive eternal's heralds is detailed in the to the last syllable wind of war, while the resonance and mitigation wind of fortune details serious questions raised about rituals such as this.
Cold Sun is not the only eternal whose attention has been focused on the Empire; details of other less catastrophic opportunities can be found in the hierarchs of sky and sea wind of fortune.
Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths only touches those territories that were Imperial at the end of the Summer Solstice 385YE. As a result, none of these effects apply to resources in Liathaven, Brocéliande, or Feroz. If your character has spent time in one of the other territories that are affected, it's fine to experience the more personal effects of the enchantment. A merrow who lives in Feroz but roleplays they have spent the last three months in Redoubt is free to strengthen their lineage trappings. But the owner of a mine in Brocéliande would not gain additional production for example.
Revelation and Meditation
- The Imperial enchantment has widespread effects across the Imperial territories affected
- It is easier to find lost things, and identify flaws in structures or groups
Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths draws on the divinatory resonances of Day, and is especially effective at helping individuals find things that are hidden or lost. One way this manifests is in helping miners find deposits of valuable magical ore,, but there are plenty of others. Simple dowsing with a plumb-line and a piece of mineral becomes much more effective, for example. People suddenly remember where they put something they thought they'd lost forever, or through methodical searches uncover things that have been hidden away for generations.
Among other things, this remarkable rash of revelations has presented a number of opportunities to recover lost treasures that the heroes of Anvil might be able to take advantage of.
Earth and stone underground whisper to miners and engineers, warning them of flaws or weaknesses that might cause collapses. Notably, in the last three months there has not been a single mining accident anywhere in the Empire - not a single tunnel collapses, not a single miner is injured thanks to negligence or misfortune. The revelation of flaws is not limited to life underground, either. Where a building is in need of maintenance, a bridge is becoming unsafe, a path is being swallowed by the forest, there are tales of auras and sounds drawing attention to the weakness or flaw. Perhaps this is also a consequence of the Realm's constant search for perfection.
The revelation of flaws is not only restricted to stonework. Many people experience moments in which they become profoundly aware of flaws and metaphorical cracks in themselves or their surroundings. One troubled League draughir describes the sensation in a broadsheet as if they had "taken a step back" and looked at themselves with independent, fresh eyes - and not liked what they had seen. Resolving to improve, they used their final column to urge their readers to do something better with their lives, announcing their retirement from gossip-mongering and scandal-raking, and speaking of their intention to move to Morrow and become a torchbearer. The pattern is repeated elsewhere across the Empire; folk seeing the flaws in their lives and striving to fix them. Paradoxically, perhaps, for a realm of order and stability the magic of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths causes steady ripples of change wherever it spreads.
Day magic is antithetical to secrets and mysteries of all kinds, and a little of that resonance seeps into the minds of Imperial citizens. Especially those who have been keeping secrets from those around them. There are stories of spontaneous confessions to the magistrates; of revelations of dark deeds that have twisted the one who did them with guilt. Almost without exception, those who give voice to the secrets they have been holding inside speak of feeling cleansed, liberated, or purified - even as they are being lead away for execution in some cases. The magic also infuses those actively seeking answers or secrets, with several criminal investigations believed to be hopeless coming to a sudden conclusion thanks to brilliant leaps of logic and cold evidence uncovered by magistrates, militia, and unlikely members of the public. It has done wonders for the investigation into the Whisper Gallery, and the efforts to root out the epsionage ring in Necropolis, for example.
Participation
- Anyone in the Empire might be influenced by the Day magic resonances
Any character may have found something important they thought was lost; anything from a missing will to a beloved childhood toy might have been rediscovered thanks to the subtler effects of the Day realm. It also applies to people - this is a good event for people to discover evidence of an unexpected relationship between themselves and someone else (with appropriate OOC consent of course).
Discovering flaws is also a theme of this magic - either the prosaic tale of how someone avoided a nasty fall because the magic helped them see that their kitchen ceiling was about to give way, or something more ephemeral such as a spotting a power-imbalance in their coven, banner, or sect. The revelatory Day magic also provides an excuse to evaluate your characterisation and take an opportunity to change it or recognise behaviours you might consider hypocritical, self-destructive, or "flawed" if viewed with an outside perspective. Many other sorts of roleplaying might suggest themselves, and anything that deals with perspective, finding things, or confronting difficult truths, is appropriate as an effect of this magic.
Finally, anyone who has a secret can roleplay a growing urge to unburden themselves of that secret. Revealing something hidden to people who will care about it brings with it a rush of positive emotions - as mentioned above a sense of clarity, purification, release, and so on. The more important the secret you revealed is to the person you tell it to, the stronger that feeling is. This is a great event to tell someone about your secret feelings, or reveal some past dark deed your character has committed. Obviously, be aware that this might have a significant impact on your game - admitting you have committed a murder may result in the full force of the law falling on your head. This goes both ways - this is also a good event for your character to launch into an investigation of wrongdoing, attempt to unravel a mystery, or finally get to the bottom of past events.
OOC Note: This magical effect is not about forcing people to tell the truth. It's impossible to try and force someone to roleplay the need to unburden themselves of a secret. It's acceptable to create a situation where it might be dramatically appropriate to confess something, but magical influence such as this is particularly subtle. It's intended as a prompt for roleplaying, not as a stick with which to beat people until their secrets fall out.
Rhythms of the Day
- People with the merrow lineage can increase their trappings if they wish
- Once each day during the Summer Solstice a merrow can discern magical auras as if casting the detect magic spell
- Merrow characters can respond to certain roleplaying effects in a calm, focused way
Like the cambion and briars before them, the Empire's merrow have been particularly effects by this potent Day magic. Every merrow is affected differently, and it is entirely fine to ignore these changes, or to downplay their effect if you wish. The realms subtly influence people with lineage, gently urging them down certain paths of behaviour, and this powerful enchantment makes that urging much more focused. The effects may linger for the duration of the Autumn Equinox, and may increase the impact of one or more of the merrow's roleplaying trappings. Merrow who have been exposed to the enchantment may find themselves feeling especially calm, curious, cerebral, or focused - but find it more difficult to resist becoming obsessed by the pursuit of knowledge. A merrow may also find that the enchantment has permanently or temporarily strengthened the trappings of their lineage.
For the last few months, many merrow have reported a growing sense of the unseen energies and currents that surround them, and the effect also lingers during the Autumn equinox. Once each day during the summit, a merrow may examine magical energies by spending thirty seconds of appropriate roleplaying that is noticable to those nearby including concentrating, closing their eyes, focusing their attention and so on. No magical words are needed; this represents an awareness of esoteric energies rather than spellcasting. Indeed, this ability can be used freely even if you are wearing armour. If you have the merrow lineage, you may wish to read over, or refresh your memory of, the detect magic spell .
Furthermore, many merrow have spoke of feeling a sense of calm and wellbeing that most only experience under water. During the Autumn equinox, any merrow who is exposed to a roleplaying effect that makes them afraid, anxious, despondent, sorrowful, or despairing may use five seconds of appropriate roleplaying including vocalising a calming mantra or soothing phrase, and instead respond to that effect in a calm, matter-of-fact, rational, and focused way. This includes both the influence of the Black Plateau in Spiral, and the effects of the Druj miasma, should the character encounter them due to a skirmish for example.
Glimmers in the Deeps
- Every mine in an Imperial territory has produced additional ingots
- After the Autumn Equinox any mine owner can diversify their mine for free
- After the Autumn Equinox a mine may be upgraded for one wain of mithril fewer than normal
Every mine in the Empire produces two additional ingots of base material during the season since the Summer Solstice. Seams of orichalcum, green iron and weltsilver ores and deposits of tempest jade glow faintly with a golden, emerald, ruby, or sapphire aura. Some miners report particularly rich deposits seeming to 'sing' to them, drawing them closer despite the fact they are entirely invisible beneath layers of earth and stone. Each material has its own unique music: orichalcum the vibrating tones of stringed instruments, green iron with the metallic notes of trumpets or horns, weltsilver the rising and falling notes of woodwind instruments. and tempest jade the thudding, rhythmic beats of great drums and other percussion instruments.
After the Autumn Equinox, any mine owner has the option to take advantage of the magic to upgrade their mine for one wain of mithril fewer than it would normally require. A basic mine would require only one wain of mithril to upgrade, for example, while a mine that already has two upgrades would only need three wains to upgrade it again. This option is only available in the downtime immedately after the Autumn equinox.
Alternatively, or in addition, a character can diversify their existing mine resource without paying the usual costs to do so. Normally, diversifying a personal resource costs 1 Throne each time it is done; this cost is waived until the start of the Winter Solstice. This represents finding and exploiting new veins of ore or materials, discovered through divination, dowsing, or the lingering effects of the Day enchantment.
Shimmering Echoes
- Any mine enchanted with Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart will provide a single deepstone each season for the next year in addition to other benefits
The Autumn magic of Bounty of the Brilliant Broker brought to like an odd new mineral in many Imperial mines. Called Deepstones, these enchanted materials contain magic that can be unlocked by trained artisans. Deepstones don't seem to be a "product" of magic; much like realmsroot it seems that they have always been buried in the earth but it takes a powerful enchantment to coax them into life or make them noticable enough to find. The power of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths already makes it easier for miners to find valuables; some have discovered that this includes deepstones. By focusing Day magic on a mine, it's possible to keep finding deepstones, capturing some of the resonance of Day and causing it to last much longer than the current season.
During the Autumn Equinox, if a mine is targeted with Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart, in addition to the normal effects that mine will produce a single appropriate Deepstone each season for the next year (ending shortly before the Autumn Equinox 386YE). The type of Deepstone produced will match the base material produced by the mine. A green iron mine produces warstones, a weltstilver mine produces bloodstones, a tempest jade mine produces spellstones,and an orichalcum mine produces heartstones.
Further information on Deepstones - what they are and how they work - can be found in the Farewell wanderlus wind of fortune.
Ephemeral Geometries
- The power of the Day realm makes it easier to do esoteric calculations
- A character can change their personal resource for a mana site without the usual costs
- Any character with a basic mana site can upgrade their resource with a single wain of mithril
A mana site represents a location where flows of magic are particularly strong, and where solutions of rare salts and cunningly positioned structures cause mana crystals to form. Many different methods of measuring or focusing the natural flows of magic are used, the most common being mirrors, geometric solids, lenses, and objects such as windchimes whose movements can be interpreted to determine any adjustments that need to be made. While some magicians use intuition and instinct to locate places where a mana site may be established, those who study Day magic prefer to use esoteric geometric theories and careful study of the environment with a variety of tools. During the last few months, these practices have become a lot easier, the calculations and equations involved proving easier to perform and paying dividends in the process. There are two main effects.
Firstly, it is much easier to establish a new mana site than normal; all that is required is a selection of compasses and set-squares, an abacus, and a lot of paper. As such any character may change their personal resource to a basic mana site in any territory of their nation without needing to pay the usual; 2 crowns to do so. Anyone who wishes to do so can email after the Autumn Equinox and gain the new resource.
Perhaps more importantly the ease with which these complex calculations can be performed means that it is significantly more straightforward to focus and pin down the flows of magic in an existing mana site. Following the Autumn Equinox, any character with a basic mana site (that is, one without any upgrades) may upgrade their mana site for only one wain of mithril rather than the usual two.
Esoteric Algebra
- Mana sites in the League and in Hahnmark and Casinea have each gained a single potent magical bead - a vitrified occulus of the Day realm
During the past several months, a pecular effect has been observed on mana sites that share a territory with one of the six Legacies of Virtue commissioned by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar. In Temeschwar, Sarvos, Tassato, Holberg, Casinea, and Hahnmark peculiar spherical nodules of glassy material have been forming alongside the expected crystal mana. Lorenzo's Legacies of Virtue are a series of great works designed with the assistance of the Wunderkind guild of Holberg, and each is quite similar in scope and construction. A number of stelae carved of red stone and surrounding cores of purified mithril are placed throughout the territory in carefully chosen locations focusing or disrupting the flows of mana, significantly improving the production of all mana sites in the area. A much larger stele is built at a single central location, serving to anchor and support the other, smaller stones. The workof "pinning down" or "shaping" the flows of mana appears to resonate in some unanticipated way with the Imperial enchantment of the Day realm, leading to what one magician calls a "distilled resonance" - a single aspect of the enchantment and the magic of the Day realm given physical form.
Each mana site owned by an Imperial citizen attending the Autumn Equinox produces a single Vitrified occulus , containing a small amount of divination magic that can be unleashed by a magician versed in Day lore. The item can only be used once, but provides the equivalent of four crystal mana towards a performance of Sharp Eyes of the Corsair, Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart, Eye of the High Places,or Eyes of the Sun and Moon.
Phys-repping the resonance: The Vitrified occulus takes the form of a sphere of glass, and can be physrepped by a clear marble, or a small pouch of marbles or beads. It could also bephysrepped with a pouch or pot of glitter - sometimes the spheres shatter but don't lose their magical abilities.
Asymmetrical Curves
- Improved perception of mana, coupled with esoteric theory, provides opportunities to enhance certain sinecures
- The Imperial title associated with the sinecure can choose to increase the production using a large amount of weltsilver
- This opportunity is only available at the Autumn Equinox
The calculations related to the currents of mana prove useful in other ways as well, as does an improved capacity to detect and track their ebb and flow. A long time ago the Navarr magician Donnaya Windgleam laid out a theory that would allow the shifting currents of magic to be more carefully controlled, using a series of weltsilver designs painstakingly positioned to capture and stabilise the shifting magic. The theory was largely useless because it required pinpoint placement and observation of the mana in a way that was time consuming, difficult, and relied on constant complicated calculations. Thanks to the clarity offered by Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths, and with the willing assistance of intrigued heralds of Ylenwe and Kimus, there may be a way to put the Navarr theory into practice to enhance the production of a mana site without using mithril.
Normally, enhancing a sinecure is a matter for the Imperial Senate, but the Wintergleam Geometries don't require major reworking of the site only the careful application of large amounts of weltsilver. The citizen with responsibility for the sinecure is capable of making such minor "cosmetic" changes themselves. They are not cheap; large amounts of weltsilver and some money is required. Furthermore, it seems that only some sinecures can benefit from the calculations; it appears that the technique requires certain "shapes" or "connections" that are not always present. Some are too large or esoteric to be able to take advantage of the technique, while others have complicating factors that means the weltsilver designs would disrupt, rather than enhance, the production of the sinecure. The presence of nearby Day regio seems to be one of the considerations that must be taken into account.
When looking at this opportunity it's important to remember that sinecures are always connected to an Imperial title, and that the player-versus-player politics of the game may result in that title changing hands. Even sinecures with tenure are not immune to challenges - especially given the new Synod power of challenge.
While some players may want to treat a sinecure like a personal possession because they paid for it, the rules are very clear that that is never the case. Your character owns their personal resource - that can't easily be taken off you. A sinecure is always the property of the Empire and is allocated to a character and can be taken away at any time through the legal means.
As it is, the following Imperial titles have the opportunity to incorporate weltsilver designs into the physical form of their sinecure to cause it to permanently produce more crystal mana: Collector of Prosperity's Boon, Custodian of the Claw, Custodian of Glass Point Cove, Custodian of the Pelican Tower, Guardian of the Prosperity of Afal, Dean of the Thorned Rose, Fallsheart Guardian, Guardian of the Cairn, Jade Custodian, Keeper of the Crystal Vale, Keeper of the Dour Fens, Keeper of the Golden Fields, Keeper of the Happiston Fields, Weigher of Worth, and Wisdom of the Tenebrous Path. In each case, the weltsilver designs will be incorporated in the most effective and efficient way to channel additional mana (OOC: The description of the sinecure will be edited to include the designs and their effects.)
To permanently increase the production by one crystal mana each season requires 20 ingots of weltsilver and 10 crowns. Increaasing the production by two crystal mana each season requires 50 ingots of weltsilver and 25 crowns. The work will take only three months to complete, after which the sinecure will permanently produce additional mana - provided the designs are not interfered with. OOC Note: To take advantage of this opportunity, the title holder should make sure the required resources are in their inventory (handed in at the end of the event),and email plot after the event.
A note of caution should be sounded here. Some of these sinecures are in areas threatened by Cold Sun or other enemies of the Empire. The weltsilver designs increase the amount of mana, but they provide no protection from the sinecure in question being damaged or destroyed.
Also Dissonance
You Cannot Hide
- The power of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths has prematurely ended almost every shroud cast on an Imperial territory or resource
- During the Autumn Equinox, shrouds with a magnitude lower than 100 immediately end
- Rituals that create large phantasms or images cannot be performed during the Autumn Equinox
As the Autumn Equinox approaches, every major shroud across the Empire with a magnitude lower than 100 collapses almost simultaneously. There have been hints that something was happening, but there is little warning. Suddenly, the skies are clear and the magical effects that conceal territories from scrying are gone. Careful experimentation shows that the effect is still taking place; it will be almost impossible to raise a new shroud during the Equinox. It has not effected every shroud - individual concealments on people seem to still be intact - but it has dispelled every Penumbral Veil on an Imperial territory, and removed all Vales of Shadow. The exception are those shrouds whose magnitude is greater than 100, or which were infused with ilium (or otherwise strengthened to the point they became permanent).
During the Autumn Equinox any attempt to perform Drawing the Penumbral Veil, Vale of Shadows, or any similar effect with a magnitude of 100 or lower will fail. The mana will be expended, but the shroud will immediately be torn apart by the lingering Day magic.
The Day realm also has a dissonance for Deception. A ritual that creates phantasms, visions, or images across a large area - such as that which created the giant miner recently observed in Mournwold - will likewise be ineffective if performed during the Autumn Equinox and targeting an Imperial territory.
What is Art Even For?
- The subtle resonance of the Day realm discourages appreciation of art
- Great works and sinecures that rely on artistic expression or passionate expression have had reduced effect
While the Day realm encourages reason, rationality, and clarity it is deeply dissonant with intuition, passion, and arguably imagination. The effects are subtle, but for the last several months theatres, art galleries, and musical performance venues across the Empire have seen a marked decline in attendance. Many people are simply not interested, preferring to spend their free time and money on other pursuits. This has been especially noticeable in the League; the Blood Red Quays Art Gallery in Sarvos and the Bloody Great Theatre in Temeschwar have both seen a significant drop-off in audiences. There has also been a great deal less interest in games of chance and self-indulgence - Lorenzo's Great Game saw significantly fewer people pass through its doors as the Day magic waxed.
It isn't just great works that are effected. The Day Realm has little time for passion, and the Brass Coast in particular has been impacted by this spreading dissonance. The Azure Chorus at Braydon's Jasse and the Crimson Drummers of Madruga have both seen significantly fewer people attending their feasts and performances. The Rose Towers in Dawn, which uses beautiful art to inspire visitors with thoughts of glory and reminders of the contributions the people of the nation have made to the Empire, attracts significantly fewer pilgrims following the Summer Solstice.
In each case, the number of votes in the Imperial Synod, and the liao provided, by the effected great works and sinecures has been halved (rounded down) for the Autumn Equinox. Unless something changes, it is anticipated that the number of visitors - and thus the estimated size of the congregation - will have returned to normal by the start of the Winter Solstice.
A Frank Reappraisal
- All new Imperial commissions will incur 50% higher labour costs from here on
One of the more subtle disonnaces of the Day realm is the way it resonates with concepts rather than materials. It is invaluable for divinations that quantify and sort information, but it can actively hinder the manipulation of physical objects. Day magic might be able to tell you exactly how to build something, but it can subtley hinder the actual physical construction.
Over the season, the burden of this imposition falls on the backs of those individuals who labour in service to the Empire constructing new buildings, digging canals, smithying weapons for armour. It's not the heroes who attend Anvil who struggle, but common people who labour with their hands each day to try to earn themselves a living. They find themselves having to work that little bit harder just to achieve what they would normally. The effects are subtle, and for the most part people set to and get on with it without complaint. Some rise an hour earlier in the morning, to get the work done, other skip their breaks to make up the time. It's hard for the individual to appreciate the many subtle ways the Day realm is making it harder to achieve things, and because citizens are working harder to compensate, there is no overall impact on projects.
But the Day realm also bring clarity and awareness - and as time goes on, those who are working hard become more consious of the efforts they are putting in and crucially of the value of their labour. Civil servants who are appraising potential commissions discover that the people they are looking to hire are suddenly much better informed about what their time is worth than they were previously. Labourers, smiths and craftsman, they are all demanding to be paid more in the future. Existing contracts will not be affected, so any existing commissions are fine, but the civil service calculate that all new commissions by the Empire will cost fifty percent more in labour costs from the Autumn Equinox onwards, to reflect the higher wages being demanded.
Imperial prognosticators spend some time analysing the magic are generally of the view that the disonance of the Day magic hasn't caused this change to happen, it's more that from the perspective of the people working for the Empire it has helped them find a flaw and fix it. They don't think there's any reason why it would happen again - although nothing is certain with rituals this powerful - but it certainly isn't going away any time soon. The effects are permanent affecting all future commissions, unless anything significant changes again.
Toward the Omnihedron
- The magnitude to perform an Imperial enchantment has increased to 210
Unlike most rituals, the magnitude of an Imperial enchantment shifts and changes as the Empire grows and shrinks. In recent years, it has increased to 200. Following the performance of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths, its been observed that the magnitude has increased again to 210. Imperial scholars theorise that this might be due to the addition of the Barrens - the largest territory the Empire has ever encountered - to the Empire.
The omnihedron is a complex theory that has never been tested; it's not clear whether following Autumn with Day has had any influence on the outcome of the enchantment. Some stargazers point out that what is noticably lessened is the impact of the dissonances of the Day realm, Compared to the widescale damage to farms and forests that occurred when Bounty of the Brilliant Broker followed Hallow of the Green World, the "downsides" of Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths seem almost negligible. Apart from the entire Cold Sun business.
Skirmishes
Lost worth
- A warband of Jotun have an artifactual Phial of the Sun that was taken over a century ago
- The Sentinel Gate will open at 19:30 on Friday to Grove of Einar, Icewood, Tromsa
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The Grimnir of Wittal Grove is responsible for reclaiming the Grimnir's Glass
A small number of the grimnir of Wittal Grove joined with the Empire's push into Tromsa. Elina of Redleaf's Hall, inspired by the blanket of Day magic over the Empire, joined with them in an attempt to uncover what happened to a Phial of the Sun, named the "Grimnir's Glass". This valuable artifact was lost when Wynflaed Sigring went with her wife to support the Fire of the South in their invasion of the territory around 238YE. Elina, a descendent of the founders of the original Healing House of Wittal Grove, has found the Jotun warband who took the "Grimnir's Glass" as their own, following the retreat of the Freeborn army and has asked for the current Grimnir of Wittal Grove to reclaim it.
If the Grimnir's Glass is reclaimed and passed on to one of the hosts of Sulkavaris before the end of the next summit then Redleaf's Hall will commit to providing ten drams of herbs to the Grimnir of Wittal Grove each season. They would provide six drams of true vervain every season but would send marrowort for use at the Spring Equinox, cerulean mazzarine for the Summer Solstice, imperial roseweald for use at the Autumn Equinox, and bladeroot during the Winter Solstice.
The warband is made up of a combined force of Raoljost, Ulvenwar, and Skjaldir. Given that this is a direct request to the Grimnir of Wittal Grove it is the responsibility of the incumbent, Branwynn Helsbur, to reclaim the Grimnir's Glass.
Change of habit
- A patrol of Druj are returning to Turan with a relic from the Grynbor
- The Sentinel Gate will open at 20:30 on Saturday to the Queen's Claim, Nesustak Forest, Sarangrave
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The Advisor on the Vallorn is responsible for reclaiming the Vate's Shelter
There have been a lot of Imperials in the Sarangrave over the last season. Over five thousand of them either exploring the woods or seeking more information in the Druj territory. What the spies may have uncovered is their business, but enough people are aware that the fearful sept of the Grynbor have been visited by the Druj ghulai and had a relic claimed from them. This relic, the Vate's Shelter, was claimed from the vile "Heirs of Terunael" when they visited the vallorn infested region of Bendol and could prove to be of interest to the Advisor on the Vallorn.
The Druj force is made up of warriors from across the Arkad along with a single herald of Queen of the Forest. Given that this is a chance to recover something originating in the vallorn it is the responsibility of the Advisor on the Vallorn; Nathair Autumngale, to reclaim the Vate's Shelter from the Druj.
- This encounter takes place in Sarangrave and is affected by Druj miasma
- The miasma weakens anyone exposed to it who does not have the ability to overcome it
By and by
- A group of bandits are preying on traders travelling between Redston and Ashill
- The Sentinel Gate will open at 17:15 on Saturday to Tom's Dale, The Heath, Upwold
- This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter
- The Bailiff of the Grand Market is responsible for dealing with the Drake's Dozen
There are many paths and roads in Upwold. There are some barely long enough to eat an apple as you walk them, some where you can have a decent chat with your neighbour, and there's those where you can eat an entire pie before you're halfway done. It is one of those last ones, the long ones, that the "Drake's Dozen" have been targeting over the past few months. Nothing too serious, no killing or hurting people too much, but there's still theft and assault of Imperial citizens. The magistrates from on Stockland way have tried, they even brought a gross of the garrison from the Eastern Guard, but with that many folks traipsing around, the Drake's Dozen were gone and hiding before the deputised militia had had a chance to take a second step. These "Drake's Dozen" have been exceptionally good at evading danger and only going after who they consider to be "reasonable" targets; the merchant princes from Tassato and the mediators from Hahnmark.
Even though they're only really going after citizens of the League and Wintermark they're still criminals; judged as such by Magistrate Harriet Stockland. The Drake's Dozen are made up of hard-bitten warriors, but given that it is the responsibility of the Bailiff of the Grand Market to ensure that major roads between towns remain free of bandits it is down to the incumbent, Sebastian Shaw, to deal with them.
Further Reading
- Hierarchs of sea and sky - 385YE Autumn Equinox wind of fortune about the Day eternals' interest in the Empire
- To the last syllable - 385YE Autumn Equinox wind of war about Cold Sun
- Resonance and mitigation - 385YE Autumn Equinox wind of fortune regarding questions about the Imperial enchantments