Nightfall in Apulian

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream.

Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, Scene 1

The stars shine bright over Spiral tonight.

Overview

The events in the mountains of Spiral are not the only thing occurring in the territory. There is politics and intrigue afoot in the city of Apulian. As the city goes dark, it comes alive with intrigue and mystery. The strange confluence of dramaturgy continues to manifest itself, while the Night realm seeps up from the dusty streets to cosset the unwary with peculiar happenstance.

Some blame Sung for this strange development - the Rainbow Serpent has clearly taken a powerful interest in the city. Others suggest that it might have been unwise to grant its request for a fane and that perhaps the architects of that plan might have designs for the city that they have not yet revealed.

All the while the Grendel continue to play their games. But with the successful infiltration of the Grendel espionage ring, there is a chance to play the players at their own game. The dealer is ready to draw cards, but should the Empire take their winnings or double-down?

The Shadowed Bay

Odd events continue to occur in the city of Apulian
It is becoming clear that this is not simply just a passing confluence

Over the Spring, the inhabitants of Apulian began to notice a distinctly odd phenomenon: one in which people were getting lost in the city despite its relatively small size. It appeared to be linked to a reverberation of Night magic that was beginning in the city. Around the same time, the influence of dramaturgy on the city appeared to increase. It is not quite clear why that would be - dramaturgy is not uniquely linked to Night magic by any means. Proposals have been made to build an academy or even a university of the dramaturgical arts to study the phenomenon more closely. The situation is now developing in ways which make clearer the distinction between these two factors.

Donning the guise of one of the personae - in this case the white and gold of the Bishop - grants strength to those who know how to use it.

The Stage, The Story

Dramaturgical personae, instruments and thrones continue to spontaneously manifest in Apulian

It is becoming clearer and clearer that dramaturgy, as a form of magical practice, is unusually... puissant, in Apulian. The personae of dramaturgy appeared to be inserting themselves into ordinary plays, and settling upon the mantles of those who called Spiral home. At first people assumed that this might simply be some manifestation of what in astronomancy would be called a conjunction - a particular but fleeting motion of the currents of magic.

Whatever is causing it, the effect is not going away yet, if anything it is deepening and strengthening in some way. Previously the personae kept appearing in plays, even when they weren't meant to be there. But increasingly people are encountering five of the six (all but the mountebank) abroad in Apulian. People bump into a masked stranger who is so clearly the Captain while out walking, or they notice the Prince is sat in the box at the theatre, watching the patrons rather than the play, a cruel smile visible beneath his jewelled mask. Sometimes they are helpful, the Doctor is suddenly there when you urgently need to answer a terrible problem you've been wrestling with for days. Other times a couple encounter the Witch inserting themselves into an argument. What is useful, is that Apulians are finding it increasingly easy to draw on the power of the personae. or the five of them that are abroad in the city at least, at times when it seems most useful. Of course that could also explain why people keep meeting the personae out and about.

There are places in the world resonant with particular constellations - like the Sign of Tamar in Reikos - or at which the stars are particularly bright and their influence particularly felt - as is the case in many of the stars favoured by the great stargazers of Urizen. One hypothesis is that Apulian may be this but for dramaturgy - a locale in which dramaturgical currents and resonances naturally form and are amplified. Why, then, was this never noticed before, in the long years of its history? It could simply be Urizen favouring other magics - especially astronomancy, and the music of the spheres. Now there are simply many more people practicing dramaturgy than ever before. Different magical techniques ought to ultimately produce similar results - but it may be that this locale interacts with dramaturgy in ways hitherto less understood. Perhaps it is something to do with the truly ancient history of this place? Who can say.

Knowledge is incomplete. Encourage the study of dramaturgy in Spiral and the spread of findings in Urizen. We should expand Urizen learning whether the League build a college or not. The League should not be burdened alone in furthering our understanding of a major tradition & choosing next steps. Look to the example of the Astral Arcanist for what can be achieved.

Donato of the Crucible, Urizen Assembly, Spring Equinox 387YE, Vote: 168-10

The confluence appears to have begun in the wake of a marked increase in the influence of the Night Realm in the city, but it was probably not caused by it - rather, the infusion of Night acted to quicken the still-beating heart of the city's dramatic potential: whatever that means. This dramaturgical confluence appears to be growing, and while it isn't causing a problem, some people are very concerned that might cause a problem. The Academy of Dramaturgy - or its greater cousin, the University of Dramaturgy - would be one way to solve the problem, but they are expensive to commission. There is popular support for the commission, especially from Urizeni magicians eager for a chance to study dramaturgy but it would certainly be easier simply to wait for this strange confluence to pass as all conjunctions ultimately do.

Participation

Any character who has spent time in Apulian experiences a roleplaying effect during the event
Any character who has resurce is in Apulian can draw on the personae as a source of spiritual strength
Any Night mage whose resource is in Apulian gains 1 rank of Night magic
They gain 2 ranks when casting Night magic shrouds, if they employ masks of one or more of the city's five personae

Any character who has spent a good deal of time in Apulian this season will have experienced the following roleplaying effect. Masks that you wear feel natural and comfortable, as if they were your true face. Conversely, it feels easy to be convinced others are wearing masks, even when their faces are bare. The effect may come and go as you please during the Summer Solstice, but will have faded by the end of the Summer Solstice for those who don't return to the city.

Resources

We only record what territory your resource is in - so we don't normally restrict benefits like this. In this case, however, the effects are peculiar to the city itself. If your resource is in Spiral, and you roleplay that your resource is in the city (which would be normal for most League characters and some Urizen characters) then these effects apply to your character, otherwise you should ignore this effect.

During this summit, any character whose resource is in Apulian can draw on the power of one of the five personae (with the exclusion of the Mountebank) as a source of spiritual strength to resist a roleplaying effect by instead embracing the roleplaying associated with this intensification of the personae. You may do this at any time during the summit, as often as feels appropriate, but you may only use a single personae throughout the event.

The Witch - You feel emboldened to meddle in the romantic affairs of others, however much they try to keep them private.
The Captain - You feel driven to challenge others to act upon their unspoken ambitions and to assist them in achieving their goals when they align with yours.
The Bishop - You find it easy to engage in long and intense debates on spiritual matters, especially pertaining to death and what follows it.
The Doctor - It feels natural to answer the questions of others with further questions, carefully guarding your magical knowledge behind a cryptic facade.
The Prince - It feels easy to fall silent in conversations and watch the faces and gestures of others, spotting the lies they tell and the ways in which they can be manipulated.

The Mountebank may not be drawn upon for this purpose. In addition, any League or Urizen character from Spiral will struggle to use the Mountebank when performing a ritual using dramaturgical techniques. The personae seems to resist being in the performance.

Any League or Urizen magician whose personal resource is in Apulian who possesses the Night lore skill, gains one additional effective rank to all Night rituals cast this summit, subject to the normal rules for effective skill. Furthermore, if you employ a mask depicting one of the five personae above during the casting of a ritual, you gain two additional effective ranks to all Night rituals that create shrouds (such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil or Incantation's Mystic Mask). Once you have used this additional effect, you find the memory of the personae lingers in your thoughts and feelings for some time afterwards.

Apulian by Night

Night magic continues to embroil Apulian enjoining mystery and secrets to the city

Where once there was but a whiff of Night magic in the air, the city now appears to reek of it. It brings a marvelously bohemian air to the waterfront - at night there are taverns, restaurants, coffee houses, play houses, opera houses, drug dens, gambling dens, dance halls - then by day they all disappear, to be replaced by bakeries, bistros, confectioneries, chocolatiers, vintners, perfumeries, museums, galleries, libraries. Every manner of experience is available, food and drink to delight the tastebuds, poetry, music and plays to enchant the senses.

While the waterfront at least remains predictable, as it flips from night to day and back, away from the water's edge the geography grows ever more kaleidoscopic. Streets seem to shift position almost at random. On Tuesday, Worthing Road ran from Margate Street all the way round to Briar Grove, but by Wednesday Briar Grove is at the far side of the city, Margate Street is nowhere to be found and Worthing Road now runs all the way down to the jetty at Pelican's Landding. Still not to worry, because odds are, it all change again tomorrow.

For first time visitors to the city, the effects are utterly bewildering. A fact that could be quite useful... good luck to any Grendel army trying to invade Apulian right now! They'd turn right down Bleeker Street thinking to move on the town square and that would be the last anyone would see of them. But it's been months now and the locals are starting to get used to it. Ok, it can be a little annoying when it suddenly takes twice as long as it should have done to get over to the Aviary Carving House on Morl Street for a business dinner with your accountant, but the city pays you back with interest for the inconvenience when it should take the best part of an hour to meet your cicisbeo to take in a performance of Saluk's The Terrible Owl at Sutlers Theatre and you discover them waiting for you on your very doorstep.

It's trivial for magicians to confirm this is a powerful Night magic effect - what else could it possibly be? And where previously it was a whisper, now it is a roar. It's not an enchantment, which is to say it's not a ritual. It just seems the the city of Apulian has been enticed a little closer to the Realm of Night than is entirely normal. It can be a problem, even for residents, but those who catch on to how it works are soon able to turn it to their advantage. One of the laws of the city seems to be that the more enjoyable something is... the closer it is... the more boring it is... the longer it takes to get there. Some magicians find themselves developing a "knack" for navigating the city. The Church of the Little Mother has even begun training their most magically adept students to act as guides. This has proved to quite profitable, especially with visitors and new arrivals.

Another rule is that subterfuge seems to infuse the streets. It may simply be the knowledge that there is a Grendel espionage ring active in the city - something that is now common knowledge after recent events. People keep an eye out for anyone engaged in illicit activity and once you look for it, it seems to be everywhere. A gaggle of mountebanks having a clandestine meeting in the back of the tavern, two lovers from rival guilds trying to keep their affair a secret, children lurking on street corners paid to keep an eye on what is going on. All of the great cities of the League are prone to a degree of "careful dealing", but another rule of Apulian is that if you're going somewhere you really shouldn't then before you know it, you're already there.

Suspect: The Feathered Serpent

Senator Spiral.

Senator Tassato

Suspect: Barossa

Oddly it does not appear to be interacting with that which lies in Screed at all. The Black Plateau continues to scream silently, day and night, as it ever has, but this rise in Night magic feels completely incidental to it - which is one positive. A few magicians suggest that it could be response to it - like a wound that scabs over to keep the flesh beneath healthy. With so many people in one place (and Apulian seems to be endlessly growing) there ought to be a risk of more and more people falling victim to the terrible influence of the darkness at the heart of Spiral and there's no sign of that.

Sung's Scandalous Fane

A handful of citizens are concerned that Sung is behind Night's embrace of the city
Others point out that this defies cause and effect, the fane can't be to blame because it hasn't been finished yet
Even so, people have questioned what role those who endorsed the fane have played in all this

The obvious explanation for all this is the eternal Sung. She has had a persistent interest in Spiral; she talked of naming a "Map to the City Below" and now any map of the city is impossible; she begged and pleaded for a fane to be built in the city but refused to say why. Now construction has started, could this be her doing?

Others point out that the fane is not actually finished yet. Eternals are powerful, but the Rainbow Serpent can't weave the Night realm into the streets before she is given any dominion in the city surely? How can she make use of a fane that hasn't been built yet? The much more sensible explanation is that Sung noticed the phenomena when it first started and that is why they are interested in the city. The eternal remains silent on the matter. She either cannot or will not speak on the matter, and she has indicated through her heralds a clear wish not to be asked questions through the use of Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River.

That logic hasn't stopped the suspicions of those who have spoken out against her. The DuSesna Guild, a prominent reckoners camorra of Tassatan extraction, have publicly denounced the building of the Chamber of Euphony as folly. Their leader, Teodore duSesna, has publicly condemned both the Senator for Spiral Genoveva Barossa d'Apulian and the long-standing Senator for Tassato Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato, as well as one Rafael Barossa d'Apulian, until recently Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path and who has held any number of titles before that.

Teodore's sources - and as a reckoner they at least claim to have impecable sources - indicates that Rafael Barossa is the true force behind the building of the Chamber of Euphony. He claims to have received information proving Rafael to have persistently encouraged idolatrous acts in Asavea involving the eternal Janon. This included sacrificing the virtue of well-meaning converts on the altar of his dark crusade against the Asavean Plenum. He points to Rafael's recent attempt to have the Conclaves enmity against the Whisper Gallery removed - a declaration he brought forward under the Veil of Night - as evidence that he has a persistently lax and, yes, idolatrous attitude towards the eternals of the Night realm. He accuses Rafael of building the Chamber of Euphony as part of his persistent and heretical secret worship of the Night eternals, and suggests that it is his hand who has caused the shadowed city to rise in Apulian - as part of his pact with Sung.

Obviously this is all very exciting even if most people don't believe a word of it. Teodore is a slightly tremulous merrow who many struggle to take seriously, especially when he becomes excited and his words tumble over each other, whereas Rafael Barossa is, well, a well-regarded, prominent, and influential citizen of the League who is generally held to be highly virtuous. Still - some say there's no smoke without fire. There is a suggestion that perhaps the Imperial Synod might want to look into the matter, and if Rafael Barossa is going around purchasing mithril, some searching questions can be asked about whether his name still has a question mark over it - and whether it might be worth looking into the other individuals named as being complicit - even if the more conspiratorial ramblings of Teodore seem basically absurd.

Many League orcs are cautious about talking too much about Grendel politics because acting on out-of-date information can often be more dangerous than acting on no information.

Turning the Ring

The Grendel are operating an espionage ring in Apulian and southern Spiral
It's not clear who is responsible for deciding how to deal with it
The Senate or the Military Council could both direct a response to the ring

All this magical esoterica is all very well: but there are practical matters afoot in Apulian too - albeit ones that seem to resonate with the realm whose magic suffuses the city. At the Spring Equinox, citizens led by the Voice of Vigilance, Bryce the Hare, successfully rescued Victo von Temeschwar, a vigilant pilgrim inspired by the example of Berechiah who has managed to successfully infiltrate the Grendel espionage ring in Apulian. Now that Victo's senses are restored, he has shared everything he knows, which has provided several powerful insights into Grendel operations and presents a number of opportunities.

The Empire first encountered proof of Grendel espionage in their territories when Barachel of Adina's Charge, then general of the Seventh Wave uncovered a ring of spies in Necropolis. The operation was wound up, but other such schemes were uncovered in other territories around the Bay. The Wolves of War, ably assisted by the Shuttered Lantern closed up the ring operating in Sarvos. Yet its clear closing down this local operations has done nothing to dull the Grendel appetite for spying.

Victo reports that there is actually a single grand espionage ring across the entire Bay of Catazar. This great work feeds information to the Salt Council drawn from various offices (which are pretentiously refer to as "jewels") established in various territories that adjoin the Bay. Unlike Imperial spy networks which are designed to support military units spying from them, the Grendel espionage ring relies on bribery and blackmail to achieve its ends. The upkeep is infamously high, but it allows the Salt Lords to gain information without risking their underlings seeing it.

Provided the ring has at least one jewel in an Imperial territory then they can use it to find out what orders generals have submitted to their armies in the previous season. Although this information comes too late to immediately counter the orders, the Salt Council still find it invaluable to know what Imperial strategy looks like and periodically the orders include information on what a general plans to do next - which may contain valuable insights.

In addition, any territory with a jewel in it, provides local information. This includes details on any forts that are in the territory, their size, capabilities and current status. Furthermore Grendel spies pay for information on great works, and any grandiose civilian commissions (buildings over 50 wains in size), collating reports on size and status of existing and new commissions. They are always keen to know what is happening with the Empire's Bourse resources, especially if any new ones have been discovered. Finally, informants are also paid to provide information on any army that moves through, or ends a season in, the territory, providing them with information on the size, status and capabilities of the army.

Based on the information provided by Victo and the crucial role he has played in infiltrating the espionage ring, the Empire faces several tricky choices. They could simply destroy the jewel they have found in Apulian, but they could also risk engaging in counter-espionage. The idea of feeding false information to the Grendel may seem attractive, but if the attempt fails, they will know their operations in that territory are compromised. If that happens, they will move all their agents and the opportunity to destroy the jewel will be lost.

However, there is an issue - it really is not clear to whom the responsibility to act on this information falls. The Voice of Vigilance has ably assisted thus far - and Victo's investigation was inspired by Berechiah and aided by the Silent Bell - but the Voice of Vigilance does not have any real authority over matters of espionage. The Regario Dossier handles foreign intelligence but it does not have any responsibility for counter-intelligence, which is surely more of a Military Council matter. Winding up the espionage ring would be a job for the magistrates, and only the Senate has the authority to direct them. The Imperial Spymaster has a position that sounds ideal - but in actuality the responsibilities of that title are quite narrow, relating strictly to the creation and decommissioning of spy networks. If the Senate had commissioned a proper restoration of Berechiah's Basilica in Bastion and created the title of the Clavem Iudicii, they would be a clear person to attain this responsibility - but the Senate declined to do so.

In lieu of a clear constitutional responsibility, the Constitutional Court have determined that the decision to wind up the jewel in Spiral or not lies with the Senate, but if the Senate demur, then the Military Council may decide what counter-espionage strategy to employ. The civil service will not raise an administrative motion in the Senate - the default state will be that the jewel simply continues operating. The Herald of the Council, working together with members of the Council to set the agenda of the Council sessions, can determine when a vote on the counter-espionage action will occur if one is requested.

The civil service note that this would be an excellent example of a place where either a title with clearer authority or a suitable Imperial sodality could aid the situation greatly. If the Imperial Spymaster's responsibilities included espionage and counter-espionage rather than the much narrower responsibility for spy networks and smugglers coves, then they could have decided this matter for instance - but there are a range of other possible constitutional solutions, if indeed it is judged to need a solution.

Seize the Jewel

The Empire can use a senate motion to destroy the outpost of the espionage ring in Spiral
The entire ring will cease to operate for a season
The Salt Council will gain no local information from Spiral without establishing a new outpost in the territory
This is guaranteed to work

The Senate could use a Senate motion to instruct the magistrates to seize the jewel. They could arrest everyone that Victo has made contact with and interrogate them to find out more. This option would be guaranteed to succeed - the espionage ring will be damaged, it will cease to function for a season, and the office in Spiral will be destroyed. The Grendel will not be able to obtain any local information for Spiral until they are able to set a new jewel in the ring here.

Burnish the Jewel

The Military Council could vote to try to trick the Grendel into attacking Spiral sometime in the next two season
There is a chance that the Grendel will see through this ruse and realise that Spiral is compromised
If that happens, then they will move their agents and the chance to destroy the outpost will be lost

The Grendel are obsessed with money and wealth, especially that that flows from bourse resources. If the Empire choses to feed false information to the Salt Council, they could provide them with intelligence on new forts being built in the territory along with new bourse resources that have been discovered there.

The combination of three factors - the presence of the Apulian Orcs, who the Salt Council would dearly like to repay for their treachery, the potential for wealth from new bourse resources, and the opportunity to strike before new fortifications are completed would make Spiral a tempting target for Grendel armies.

If they believe the reports, they are bound to attack the territory with their forces in the next two seasons. That could give the Empire an opportunity to be ready for them. The risk is that the Grendel discover that the information is false - that is a risk that is impossible to quantify. Either this strategy will work - or the other one - but it's impossible to know which, without more information from other sources.

Tarnish the Jewel

The Military Council could vote to try to trick the Grendel into giving Spiral a wide berth
There is a chance that the Grendel will see through this ruse and realise that Spiral is compromised
If that happens, then they will move their agents and the chance to destroy the outpost will be lost

The Grendel are terrified of the Black Plateau, which the Empire successfully triggered to destroy their armies last time there was fighting here. They repeatedly tried to work with the Empire to calm or contain the Plateau, approaches that were rebuffed but which eventually led to the creation of the Block. If the Empire choses to feed false information to the Salt Council, they could provide them with intelligence on a commission being built on the edge of the Black Plateau that is designed to trigger the Plateau if the Grendel attack.

No matter how much the Salt Council want to take vengeance on the Apulian Orcs, they won't risk attacking Spiral if they believe that the Empire could trigger the Black Plateau to overwhelm their armies. They would give the territory a wide berth.

If they believe the reports, they are bound to avoid attacking the territory with their forces in the next two seasons. That could be valuable to Imperial strategy. The risk is that the Grendel discover that the information is false - that is a risk that is impossible to quantify. Either this strategy will work - or the other one - but it's impossible to know which, without more information from other sources.

Game Design

In line with similar espionage and treachery plots that are currently running, the risks involved in this plot are an essential part of it. The safe option is to simply destroy the outpost of the espionage ring.

There are two counter-espionage strategies the Empire could employ - either might work, but either might fail. If they fail, then the Grendel will know that their agents in Spiral are compromised. They will move their agents and change what they are doing, so the office will still be active, but the Empire will be back to square one trying to deal with it.

One of these strategies will work - and one will fail. The plot team know which is which and there are ways in the game that players could find out information that might help them determine which is which.