Between two mounds

"I am Janfer Arunson. My message is for the Great Jarl of the Golden People, the one whose honour burns with the fire of the sun."

Juanita stared at the ghodi. She wasn't tall, but looked lithe and muscular, like she knew how to handle herself. Despite that, the only weapon she carried was a short carving knife secured to her belt. Not a thrall then, but not a warrior either. She tilted her head to one side to bring her closer to Siraj. "Who are the Golden people?" she whispered to the hakima. The Jotun could probably hear them, the tent wasn't that but Juanita wasn't sure she cared.

"It's their name for us I think. Probably meant to be a compliment." he whispered back and then shrugged to show he was none the wiser.

"Who is this "great Jarl" then?" Juanita called out. The Jotun called their leaders jarls, so presumably the orc meant dhomiro. More compliments maybe.

"Their honour is a flame that illuminates the night. Their words are glass that hide nothing. The dust from which they come is more precious than the stars."

"I want a name... not a résumé" Juanita cut in. The ghodi might be making every effort to be diplomatic but there was only so much of this honour crap she could put up with. She had better things to do with her day than listen to the Jotun prattle on about their honour.

The ghodi paused for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossed her face. For the first time since the two had come face to face Juanita thought she looked unsure of herself. "Ustigar warned me to not speak the name of the Golden Jarl, lest they come to harm thereby." she eventually responded.

Juanita gave a sardonic laugh. "If you want me carrying your messages Jotun, you'll do me the courtesy of telling me who they are for. Otherwise this is going to be a short meeting. For both of us."

If the ghodi heard the threat at the end she paid it no heed. "The Golden Jarl knows that our people honour them. If you pass my words to your Jarls, then the Golden Jarl will hear me and know my King's message is for them."

That last bit finally got Juanita's attention. She sat up straight in her chair and eyed the ghodi warily. "Somebody fetch a scrivener" she barked at the room. If this orc really did have a message from the Jotun King then it might just be important...

Our traditions are what define us, we believe all should be offered the opportunity to follow those traditions, especially in death.

Overview

The Empire has fought with the Jotun orcs for as long as anyone can remember. That conflict has become must more bitter since the battle of Orchards Watch in Spring 381YE, when the Empire used powerful curses to wreak devastation on the Jotun armies and the inhabitants of the Mourn, both Imperial and Jotun alike. Years of conflict ensued, a campaign that seems to never end, and one in which the tide of war has only recently turned in the Empire's favour.

Some Imperial negotiators have pushed the Jotun to consider the possibility of peace. The representative of the King and Queen, Jarl Ustigar of Keirheim, has repeatedly rebuffed these negotiations on behalf of the two monarchs. He claims that the Jotun cannot make even a temporary peace with the Empire while those whose honour was stained by the deaths in the Mournwold still live. Few really understand Jotun notions of honour, but it appears that there can be no piece until those who failed the thralls of the Mourne have found their own death in battle. Now after four years of war, the first tiny cracks may at least have appeared in the Jotun's resolve.

Last season the Empire won a decisive victory against the Jotun whose champions fought to the death to hold Fort Braydon. Such an action is unusual - normally the Jotun would fight until the battle was lost and then withdraw. This time the champions were apparently given leave to remain so that they might fight their way across the Howling Abyss. After the battle was done, the Freeborn elected to raise a great mound of stones over the bodies of the fallen, out of the respect for the Jotun's traditions. Following the erection of the mound, from out of the west comes a young ghodi offering... if not an actual olive branch... then at least the possibility of one.

Meanwhile in the north, Wintermark's armies lead the charge into Tromsa, taking the war deep into the heart of Jotun territory. In recent years, the armies of Wintermark have committed themselves to fight with honour against the Jotun, whether out of respect for their enemies or a reflection of their own heroism is unclear. Regardless it seems that it too is reaping dividends, with the Jotun armies finally responding in kind. Following that decision comes a second envoy from the Jotun eager to talk with the generals or their representatives. And this time they come with a request from the Jotun...

Dust, Flame, and Glass

The battle at Braydon's Jasse was hard fought and we honour the courage of those who remained behind to face us. We send Maria i Espiri i Guerra with 25 doses of liao and 5 thrones to urge the people of Kahraman to raise a burial mound over the dead Jotun. Our traditions are what define us, we believe all should be offered the opportunity to follow those traditions, especially in death.

Maria i Espiri i Guerra, Freeborn Assembly, Summer Solstice 385YE, Vote: 150-16

• The Freeborn Assembly took the decision to raise a burial mound to honour the funeral traditions Jotun who died at Fort Braydon
• Despite initial grumbling, the Jotun champions are buried and the mound raised without incident
• A month later a Jotun ghodi appears in the area to study the mound

The victory at Fort Braydon left the Freeborn with a moral quandry - how to deal with the bodies of the slain Jotun champions who gave their lives in the defence of the keep. The Freeborn tradition is to burn the bodies of the dead, but there were some who argued that the Coast didn't even owe them that much and suggested the bodies should be looted and left for the carrion. In the end calmer voices prevailed and Maria i Espiri i Guerra convinced the Freeborn Assembly to raise a great burial mound for the dead - to honour the slain in the traditional Jotun way.

The decision is not entirely popular - not simply because it involves a lot of backbreaking work, but because few peopl eare minded to be so charitable towards the Jotun who have brought nothing but war and death to Kahraman. Maria is unfaltering in her leadership and those her words can not persuade are swayed by the pouch of Thrones she carries. Within a week, the work is done and a great mound is raised over the bodies of the slain. Afterward, even the most recalcitrant of the Freeborn who took part in the work seems to admit that it was perhaps the right thing to do.

Few think any more of the matter, but a month later word spreads of a lone orc seen in the vicinity of the burial site. A scouting party is quickly formed to seek out this threat, but the orc proves remarkably easy to find having set up a large hide tent in a copse near the mound. The search party confront her, and she confirms that she is indeed a Jotun, but she claims to be a ghodi, a Jotun priest, who has come here to mark the mound of the fallen. In person she is surprisingly congenial and swears on her honour and her ancestors that she means no harm to any Freeborn. She repeats that she is here only to study the mound and to discern how it should be marked.

A handful of hot-tempered youth argue to kill the priest on the spot. She is an enemy and she has not come under a flag of truce. But Maria's words still carry weight - surely it cannot bring any harm to allow one unarmed Jotun to come to the mound? The Assembly urged the Freeborn to respect the traditions of the Jotun in death... and so reluctantly they agree to let her stay. At least until someone who knows what should be done with this strange "priest" can be found.

Of course the Freeborn are not such fools as to let an enemy wander their lands unwatched once they know they are there. Hence the local families take on the burden of checking each day to see what the Jotun priest is up to. She seems as good as her word - every morning she goes up to the mound where she seems to spend an hour or two in meditation or prayer of some kind. She is clearly engaged in some kind of religious ceremony, but there is no sign of any actual magic being performed. She leaves the mound after midday and spends the rest of the time gathering fruit, wild vegetables, and checking some simple snares for food to supplement the meagre rations she has brought with her. Within a week, her presence has become mundane and people are already beginning to wonder if their vigil is really worth the effort and how long they will have to keep it up.

Not long as it turns out - a few days later the ghodi appears to be done - or at least the first part of her endeavours is complete. Before she departs she asks to meet with one of the local Jarls so that she might pass on two requests to "The Golden Jarl". After some discussion she is escorted to the presence of one of the local dhomiros, Juanita i Roario i Riqueza. Once there she claims to be speaking for Gudmundur Arason, King of Narkyst, Jarl-of-Jarls with a question for the Freeborn generals and a petition for the Golden Jarl to consider.

An Enduring Flame

• On behalf of the King of Narkyst, the Ghodi petitions the "Golden Jarl" for permission to raise a monument on the burial mound
• She intends to fashion a mithril bowl to sit on top of the mound and plans to bring 9 wains of mithril here to create a permanent monument shortly after the Autumn Equinox
• The Freeborn Assembly could use a simple mandate to prevent the gohdi from placing the monument on the mound
• The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills could use a winged messenger to arrange a raid into Liathaven to capture the ghodi and the mithril

The ghodi claims that the People of Glass, Fire and Dust have honoured the King's champions with their labour, but the work is incomplete. For their ancestors to accept the fallen, they must know that the champions died fighting a worthy foe, an honourable enemy who defeated them with sword and spear in honest battle. The Jotun are grateful that the bodies have been laid to rest, but the mound contains no symbol to mark the honour of the people who defeated them.

Thus she wishes to raise a monument to the Virtue and Honour of the Freeborn people who defeated her champions. To that purpose she plans to return in two months time, a few weeks after the Autumn Equinox. If the "Golden Jarl" will grant her permission, then she will fashion a great bowl of mithril. Once complete, she will invoke the power of the Jotun ancestors to fill the bowl with fire, such that it will burn night and day. She has consulted the omens and believes this is the best way to convey the strength and honour of the Freeborn who defeated them. If the Jotun are allowed to complete the mound in this way, then their ancestors will know that their people were slain in honourable battle and will recognise that they died fighting a worthy foe.

The request raises a lot of questions, some of which the ghodi is able to answer, some of which they do not. Their plan for the bowl is large - she aims to use 9 wains of mithril to construct the monument. She and her fellow Jotun will bring the mithril with them when they return. There will be no magic in the bowl - she claims it will burn by the wishes of the ancestors alone - though she does admit that her skills as a ghodi allow her to craft such a thing. It will need no fuel, nor anyone to tend the fire. She swears on her honour and her ancestors that it will bring no harm on anyone who dwells anywhere in Kahraman or beyond.

There are three obvious ways the Brass Coast could respond to this request. The ghodi i seems to need nothing more than the Empire's permission, so they could simply let her proceed with her plans. If nothing else happens, than the ghodi will return after the Autumn Equinox and raise a monument to the Freeborn over the burial mound of the fallen Jotun champions. And that - on the face of it - will be the end of the matter.

Alternatively, if the Freebon have no desire to permit the Jotun to treat their lands like their personal memorial grounds then the Assembly could enact a simple mandate to ensure that people turn the Jotun back when they arrive. There is no garrison here now that Fort Braydon is gone, but the families are confident that they are more than a match for a dozen Jotun.

Be alert to all dangers; within and without. We send {named priest} with 10 doses of liao to urge the families of Kahraman to ensure that the Jotun are turned back from our boders. We have honoured their dead, now let them learn to honour our borders and stay in their own lands

Synod Mandate, Freeborn Assembly

If this mandate is passed then Juanita and the other dhomiros will be ready for the Jotun when they arrive. There won't be violence unless the Jotun start it, but they will be turned back and told in no uncertain terms that the "Golden Jarl" refuses their request to decorate the funeral mound in Braydon's Jasse.

Juanita i Roario i Riqueza, the Roario family estates, Braydon's Jasse.

That is not the only alternative. A small group of unarmed Jotun are planning to come here in less than a months time with 9 wains of mithril. That's mithril that could be used to enrich Kahraman - or forged into weapons and armour to fight the Jotun. The Coast has not agreed to this request of the Jotun, they didn't ask this ghodi to turn up here, but she's apparently coming anyway. They could put together a raiding party, attack the ghodi while she is travelling through Liavathen and take the mithril. Juanita i Roario i Riqueza is more than happy to carry out the deed. If she receives a winged messenger from the Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills she will gather a group of corsairs and kohan and they'll carry out a lightning raid into Liathaven to capture the ghodi and the mithril while they're in enemy territory.

The position of Dhomiro is up for election at this summit. Whoever claims the title can get the mithril and then someone will have to decide how best to ransom the ghodi back to the so-called King of Jotun. She should be worth a hefty sum though, given her name...

A Handful of Dust

• The King of Narkyst wishes to know why the Freeborn have sullied their honour in recent battles yet now they honour the Jotun fallen
• The ghodi claims there can be no hope of peace between the Freeborn and the Jotun if they chose to fight without honour

The King of Narkyst's ghodi has a second message, one for the collective generals of the Freeborn. The ghodi says that the King does not understand why the Freeborn have honoured his champions in this way, yet they permit the corrupted slaves of the King in Chains to sully their honour by taking the field with them. These twisted creatures' one delight is slaughter and brutality - the Jotun expect the Imperial Druj to crawl on their bellies before the throne of the Bound King - but they do not understand why the Freeborn would sully their souls by embracing this monster as their ally?

The ghodi claims that the Jotun have had many years of honourable battle with the Freeborn who they see as honest enemies. The words the Golden Jarl sent to Ustigar four winters past gave King Gudmundur hope that there might one day be a chance for a break from war between the Jotun and the Freeborn. The Golden Jarl claimed that the Freeborn would reject cruel strategies, and the King noted that since that time her Red Wind Corsairs have fought with honour and chose to ransom those they defeated. Since that time, the Freeborn have faced the Jotun as equals on the battlefield.

But now their generals have called on the power of Winter so that their warriors fight like rabid dogs. Where is the honour in a victory such as this? The generals give orders to their soldiers to show mercy to those who are defeated, but then they march to war alongside the carrion-knights of the Bound Three whose only delight is murder and bloodshed and who slaughter those who fall in battle and the healers who try to save them.

The King had assumed that the Golden Jarl was dead and that the Freeborn honour had died with them. It would not be the first time in recent years that the Empire has abandoned its word and turned to forbidden arts and the murder of thralls to achieve victory on the battlefield after all. But then just when they had abandoned all hope of peace with the Empire, the Freeborn choose to honour the King's champions and raise a barrow for the dead with their own hands. This suggests that the Golden Jarl still lives and the Freeborn can still act with honour.

The King and his jarls are confused by this contradiction. They have spoken with Jarl Ustigar who knows the Imperials better than any Jotun and he cannot explain it. They have exchanged messages with Queen Yrsa but she is none-the-wiser. They have consulted the omens and they cannot discern what motive is guiding the Freeborn's hand. Thus the King of Narkyst has sent his ghodi to ask the Freeborn why they have done these things?

Do the Freeborn still hope for a pause in the fighting? The Jotun are born to war - there can never be a lasting peace between the Jarls and the Empire. But even the Jotun weary of fighting eventually. Even the ancestors do not demand that their people live only to fight. The King cannot stop the war until the disgrace of those who allowed the Empire to murder the thralls of the Mournwold has been wiped clean - and that can only happen when every single Jotun who fought there is dead. That is why he gave his champions permission to remain behind at Fort Braydon. But surely the Freeborn generals understand that if they pursue this path, allying themselves with dark powers, invoking forbidden magics, sullying the battlefield with brutal and callous murder - then it is only a matter of time before there is another tragedy like the Mournwold and that will mean another decade of war.

No-one can fathom the purpose of these mixed messages and so the King of Narkyst has sent his ghodi to ask. Why are they doing this? Why would the Freeborn fight like the Druj on the battlefield, but then raise a burial mound to cover the bodies of those who had fallen?

The ghodi does not offer to take a response. She claims that the Freeborn have fifteen thousand ways to reply to the King of Narkyst if they chose to.

Three Tears Entwined

• The new Jarl of Tromsa and the old Jarl of Keirheim have sent envoys to the Imperial war host gathered in Tromsa

After the death of Jarl Olgaf Anagarsson and the defeat of Mathilda Fisher's forces, the new Jarl of Tromsa, Jarl Igya Olgafsdottir sends word that she wishes to parlay with the Imperial armies. A truce is arranged to allow the generals or their representatives to meet with the Jotun and an Imperial delegation has a short negotiation with the Jarl of Tromsa and the Jarl of Keirheim. The Jarl of Tromsa refuses to surrender her castle or her lands, she is clear that she and her people will fight to the bitter end to defend their lands against the Empire. Instead she proposes that her champions will face the Empire on the field of battle so that they might have an opportunity to capture Mathilda Fisher. It is a strange offer, but one that seems to accord with the Jotun's peculiar notion of honour.

Although the Jarl of Keirheim is much older and more senior than the Jarl of Tromsa he refuses to speak until the Jarl of Tromsa has had a chance to finish discussing the fate of Mathilda Fisher. He seems to consider that matter to be hers to deal with alone. In fact he appears to have little interest in Mathilda Fisher at all, or even in the fate of her warriors, her fortification or even her territory. Rather, the Jarl of Keirheim is here to discuss one thing, the fate of Mount Majastind, the great peak at the heart of Tromsa, which the thralls claim is the throne of the Jotun gods.

The Jarl is somewhat guarded about why the mountain is so important, but it is painfully clear that it sacred to the Jotun in some way. He denies that the mountain is the "throne" of the gods, but he does admit that the bones of many of the Jotun ancestors are interred there, along with the regalia they were buried with centuries ago. It soon becomes clear that the Jarl of Keirheim has rushed north not to save Tromsa so much as to try and save Mount Majastind.

Oaths of Iron and Blood

• The Jarl of Keirheim has asked General Iron Osric and General Lofyn Blood Cloak to swear an oath before the Wintermark egregores not to permit their Imperial allies to despoil Mount Majastind
• If the oath is taken, the Fight with Honour order will prevent any Imperial army in the same territory from raiding tombs, burial mounds, and shrines to Jotun ancestors

The Jarl is deeply perturbed by the presence of the Imperial Orcs, the Marchers and the Freeborn in Tromsa. He claims to trust the honour of both General Osric (who he appears to be on first name terms with) and General Lofyn - confident that even if they take all of Tromsa, neither general would ever permit their people to despoil the burial chambers. He makes repeated comparisons with the marshes of Kallavesa, pointing out to the Wintermarkers how devastated their people would be if the Jotun despoiled the resting place of their ancestors. He claims the Jotun would never contemplate such a heinous crime - and that is how he knows that the Wintermarkers could never despoil Mount Majastind.

According to Ustigar, of all the Imperials only Wintermark can possibly understand what it is at stake here. Only they can know how sacrilegious it would be - how devastating to the Jotun. And only they appreciate what would be at stake... if the bones at Mount Majastind were disturbed and the tombs looted then it would mean that nothing was sacred anymore. Despite the Jarl's calm and diplomatic demeanour he is careful to insinuate that if that happened then it would absolutely mean that the marshes, which the Jotun have always considered to be sacred and untouchable, would become fair game for reprisals by enraged Jotun Ulvenwar.

Still - he is absolutely certain that the Wintermarkers would never do this. Sadly his people do not have the same confidence that the Marchers, the Imperial Orcs, and the Freeborn understand how important it is that nobody disturbs the rest of the Jotun ancestors. While the Jarls are relieved that the Wintermarkers have not brought their Imperial Druj allies north with them, it can't be denied that the Freeborn have marched alongside knights bound in service to the King in Chains. The Imperial Orcs grow closer to their ancestors with each year, but the Jarls worry that they will seek out the mountain in the belief that they can steal the Jotun's ancestors from them. And the Marchers... they have done much to reclaim their honour in recent campaigns, but it is still barely half a decade since they unleashed a plague of curses on their own people in the Mournwold.

Jarl Ustigar is clear that he trusts the Wintermark generals with his honour, but can they say the same for their allies? He asks for Wintermark to vouch for those they have brought with them. Specifically he asks that General Iron Osric and General Lofyn Blood-Cloak swear an oath in front of their egregore not to permit their Imperial allies to despoil Mount Majastind while they are in Tromsa. He offers nothing in return for this plea, which he seems to regard as a perfectly reasonable request to make of the Wintermark generals. He is at pains to say that he has arranged the release of all the thralls taken from Sermersuaq but he confesses that that is a separate matter, one already agreed to with General Osric in exchange for the Banner of the Wolf.

He does not ask them to swear the oath there and then, rather he asks that each of them first consider what is at stake. Such an important oath is best sworn once it's weight has been measured, in the presence of Sulkavaris, and the people of the nation, who can witness it better than the Jotun can.

If the Wintermark generals swear an oath before the egregores and the people at Anvil, then the Fight with honour special order will also prevent any Imperial army in the same territory from raiding or despoiling tombs, burial mounds, and shrines to Jotun ancestors in the same manner that it prevents certain other orders being taken. The fact the Winterfolk are leaving the sacred places of the Jotun in peace - and encouraging their allies to do the same - will be obvious to everyone in the territory.

Old Bones

• Questioning local thralls confirms that Mount Majastind is the final resting place of Ulven, the greatest of the Jotun ancestors
• Ulven's bones are interred in the mountain along with the bones of other ancestors and many of their most valuable possessions
• Any of the generals of one of the seven Imperial armies present in Tromsa could submit an order to loot Mount Majastind

Since the Jarl of Keirheim has been careless enough to point out the precarious situation the Jotun are in, a few Imperial scouts endeavour to see if they can confirm the details - just to see what is actually at stake here. After careful questioning of local thralls they are soon able to confirm that the mountain is widely considered to be the final resting place of Ulven, the oldest and most important of all the Jotun ancestors. This legendary figure seems almost mythical on the face of it - the tales claim that Ulven founded the Jotun people, but she also defeated the gods in battle and went on to conquer the whole world. Despite these rather preposterous tales, everyone agrees that Ulven was once a flesh and blood orc - and that her remains are definitely buried in Mount Majastind.

It is not just Ulven either. The mountain is apparently the resting place of scores of ancestors - not all their greatest warriors are buried here but many are especially those of the northern Jotun. Not just their bones either, the ancestors are apparently buried with all due honours, which means their tombs will contain numerous valuables, a great wealth in silver, gold and gems, and at least three powerful artefacts.

The mountain is not especially well defended - certainly it has no special defences against an attack by an Imperial army. There is a massive kirkja on the lower slopes of the mountain with hundreds of Ulvenwar present, which would be more than sufficient to stop a raid by military units, or by an army in the territory taking the Daring Raid or Plunder order. The defences are however nowhere near powerful enough to hold off a concerted attack by thousands of Imperial soldiers.

Any of the seven generals whose army is currently present in Tromsa could issue orders to loot the mountain. They couldn't do it if they were leaving the territory, and they would have to target the region of Majastind as one they were attempting to conquer. But provided they did so, and were fighting in Tromsa this season, the general could order their soldiers to loot the tombs simply by including it as part of their orders. It wouldn't have any military impact, it wouldn't change the military effect of any orders issued by the general, but it would obviously be devastating for the Jotun. It would also mean that the bones, relics and artefacts that are there would all fall into the hands of the general who issued the orders.

Given that the Empire does not have a map of Tromsa, it is not possible for any other Imperial army to make the attempt. Only an army that has spent one or more seasons campaigning in Tromsa and can reach the centre of the territory and claim the rewards of despoiling Mount Majastind. After this season, the opportunity to raid the tombs in this fashion will be lost - at the very least the Jotun will seek opportunities to reinforce the defence of the mountain, its kirkja, and its shrines. It may be possible to despoil Mount Majastind in the future - especially if the region was conquered by the Empire - but this specific opportunity is only available at the Autumn Equinox.

Lost Souls

• The Jotun have arranged the return of hundreds of thralls taken from Sermersuaq
• They appear to be in good health and have been carefully escourted to Olgafsdottirshal by members of the Jarl of Keirheim's warband

Even as the Empire is invading Tromsa, the Jotun appear to be making good on a promise to return the thralls taken from Sermersuaq during the recent conquest. Those whe resisted the Jotun invasion were killed, but those who took the choice became thralls. Most were forced to remain in Sermersuaq, force to work their own lands for the Jotun who took nearly everything they produced. However more than a thousand were taken as thralls by the Jarls and other leaders of the Jotun and made to work their estates in Skallahn and Hordalant and beyond.

The Jarl of Keirheim has apparently struck a deal with the General of the Green Shield to return the thralls. The full details are unclear, but it allegedly involves a banner, an item of worth, that the Jotun greatly desired to regain. The General and the Imperial Consul made arrangements for it to be possible for the Jotun to reclaim the banner. In return the Jarl has arranged for those who were taken from Sermersuaq to be released.

It is a massive gathering of people, almost a thousand people of all traditions. They march to Olgafsdottirshal accompanied by an honour guard of a score of the Jarl's warriors, but they appear to be in relatively good health. They are clothed and fed, and many are carrying tents and supplies of food with them to sustain them on the journey.

According to the Jotun who are travelling with them this group includes everyone who was taken from Sermersuaq during the Jotun invasion. Their arrival is cause great celebrations in Olgafsdottirshal, a chance to finally close the last chapter in the tragic tale of the Jotun conquest of Sermersuaq.

Further Reading

• A tale told - 385 Autumn Wind of War detailing the campaign in Tromsa
• Questions of virtue - 385YE Summer Wind of Fortune detailing the situation in the aftermath of Fort Braydon's fall