Enchanted
It was a little unnerving being the focus of the creature's dozen or so little eyes as it spoke, but its voice sounded very sincere. Laurius the Elder, arbiter of the Spire of the Twilight Sun, was still not entirely comfortable with talking to a golden spider the size of a sheep. Especially given it was on matters of the heart. But when the rest of your spire thinks you're being foolish, you need to look in unexpected places for advice and support.
"So you don't think I should apologise and get him a gift?" The rest of the spire seemed convinced he was in the wrong and needed to make amends. "Megaris suggested I could get him a nice pen, or maybe even commission Alba to make him a Circlet of Falling Snow..."
"Oh no," that breathy voice like silk gliding over steel "No, I don't think he'd want anything like that. Best for you to just stick with your studies for now. This ritual has the highest projected magnitude I've ever seen and I'm sure he'll come round to your way of thinking eventually. Focus on what's important, Laurius. The great work."
Laurius felt a lot better, and thanked the giant golden spider for listening and giving him good advice.
After he left, the spider chittered to itself softly for a few moments, and then quickly climbed back up the interior of the tower so it could sit and watch the blinking lights in peace.
Overview
With the Winter Solstice fast approaching, there are a number of magical matters that might be of interest to the magicians of the Empire. The Imperial Conclave, of course, has undergone some significant changes, the impact of which will be felt most strongly at the first actual meeting since they took place.
There are also a number of pressing matters that might be of particular concern to the Imperial Conclave; a spreading blight in Madruga for example. The matter of the odd fruit gathered in Brocéliande during the daring adventure there. As well as a number of developments following certain declarations at the Autumn Equinox.
The Thirsty Grasses
- A slowly spreading blight threatens the Great Grasses in Madruga
- The Freeborn Assembly has called for help; the Conclave is the best chance to find a solution
During the storms that battered the Empire in the lead-up to the Autumn Equinox, one area of the Empire was almost entirely untouched. The Great Grasses in Madruga is a sweeping, fertile plain known for a surfeit of closed-mouthed Freeborn farmers and the great herds of cows, sheep, goars, and more niche herd animals that they tend. While the grasslands were lashed by rain just like the rest of the Empire, within a week of the last downpour the plains were as dry as a bone; drier even than they had been before the storms.
The National Assembly of the Brass Coast upheld a statement of principle from Raphael i Zamora i Riqueza urging people traveling the Great Grasses to be careful, to share what they learnt, and identifying the House of Aldea to Tutamen as the epicentre of the problem. Farmers shrugged and muttered about the residual effects of the rain - but then Dónal i Gracina i Riqueza, dhomiro of a small farming family, noticed that his farm was not enjoying any of the benefits mentioned as attendant on the tempest. After speaking with several of his neighbours, he discovered that none of them were seeing any "magical renewal" of their farm or herb garden either. "it is as if," he says with eerie foresight, "something is consuming the Spring magic."
A fortnight before the Autumn Equinox, the situation suddenly worsened. The grasses started to die, withering away as if in the grip of a terrible drought. All life began to leech from the soil, turning it to ashy sand. The centre of the spreading wasteland is indeed the lands of the Aldea di Tutamen - a very old, very insular Freeborn family who can evidently trace their roots back to the exodus from Highguard and beyond. Travellers urged to share what they learnt by the assembly confirmed reports of horrific desiccated creatures - human in shape but not in appetite - inhabiting the area of wasteland that used to be the fertile farmland. These creatures seem similar to the husks created by Winter magic or perhaps the Virus Lunarae poison, but rather than meat they are drawn to water. Especially the water that is found within living beings. They don't seem to want to leave the area of wasteland they currently occupy... but that area of desert is slowly growing.
A Winter blight of dust and ashes is growing in Madruga. The land is dry and parched, transforming into a desert. It is centered on the House of Aldea ti Tutamen in the west of Madruga, but seems to be spreading quickly through the grasslands. When we went to investigate we found undead husks. If you must travel in those regions, be vigilant, share what you learn, and bring your own food and water.
Raphael i Zamora i Riqueza, Autumn Equinox 384YE, Vote: Primacy 204-0
The desiccated near-desert is growing slowly, but it is growing. Alerted by Raphael i Zamora i Riqueza, several hakima have visited the area to confer with their local colleagues and examine the wasteland, Through divination they have determined that the desert is being caused by "Winter magic" but not the result of a ritual as such. The only thing that seems to slow its progress down is water, ideally water infused with the power of Spring magic. The hakima of the Great Grasses are doing their best to try and understand the problem, but there is a limit to what they can achieve. They are very concerned that if it is left untouched the desert will devour not only the Great Grasses but potentially threatens the whole of Madruga. That's the immediate problem that needs addressing.
Help is Needed
- Freeborn Hakima ask for Imperial magicians to bring Spring-infused rain to Madruga to help slow the spread of the blight
- The Conclave could choose an order to take charge of investigating the situation
- Several eternals might also be able to offer assistance
The local hakima don't have the resources to do the kind of magic that is needed; they need a territory-wide enchantment (or curse) of Spring magic that will bring rains, or raise waters. Obviously Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea will work, as will Thunderous Deluge but both rituals have dreadful side effects. More useful perhaps would be Regrow the Land's Heart, which infuses a territory with magical waters specifically intended to heal the land and the soil.
The hakima of the Great Grasses also ask that the Conclave consider asking one of the orders to get involved, to find out what is going on and how to put a stop to it before it gets worse. A suitably worded declaration of Concord could ask the magicians of a specific order to come to Madruga to explore the phenomenon and hopefully find a solution that so far evades the hakima. This will be most successful if a single order is chosen; the potential advantage comes as much from the organisation that an order can bring to bear as anything else. Asking all Imperial magicians, or magicians from multiple orders, to work together will reduce their effectiveness in combatting this problem.
There is also talk of perhaps asking Ossegrahn if that eternal can offer aid, or knows more about what is going on; other hakima wonder if the eternals of the Winter realm might have some idea of what is happening in Madruga. Regardless it seems clear that whatever is going on is a problem for the Imperial Conclave.
"Because that's not how vallorn works!" Norda retorted, exasperated by her friends caution. "It wasn't some plant that was planted and then just burst out of the ground and attacked everyone, it was a ritual! A dangerous spring ritual full of hubris and... bad thinking"
Elwood opened his mouth to say something else stupid, but Norda cut him off.
"This isn't a ritual, it's a fruit. A weird fruit with weird skin and a weird smell, sure, but still a fruit. And we know how to grow fruit here, and we're not afraid of fruit, are we Elwood?"
Her friend was not convinced, but didn't argue. He did tighten his grip on his axe, however. Let any weird fruit try anything, and he'd be ready.Of Peculiar Fruit
- Explorers in Brocéliande have returned with magical "chaos fruit"
- The fruit function in a similar manner to potions, but with more unpredictable effects
- Fruit could also be cultivated with the correct magical ritual
Following the daring expedition into Brocéliande a number of people emerged from the vallorn-haunted woods with some very strange treasure indeed. Dubbed "chaos fruits", they possess magic as unpredictable as their appearance. There are stories of fleshy flowers whose juice focuses the perception of Spring magic to allow a magician to wield powerful rituals, misshapen fruit whose rind grants anyone brave enough to eat it a burst of unparalleled endurance, glutinous juices a sap that provide miraculous healing, delicate berries that induce a narcotic stupor, and many more. Very quickly, those exploring the fruit determine that the physical appearance is no guide to the effects one will have; that texture, scent, and taste are more importance than colour or shape. OOC Note: We've intentionally done this so players can phys-rep their chaos fruit with whatever fruit or fruit-adjacent things they can lay their hands on rather than mandating (for example) that a fruit be yellow, or banana-shaped.
It's quickly ascertained that these are "simply" fruit - there are no extractable magical essences within them. Distillation of Diverse Parts simply destroys the fruit leaving only worthless mashed pulp behind.
The fruit can be consumed like... well like any other fruit. This unleashes their magic in just the same way that a potion provides its benefits to the one who eats it. OOC Note: All the normal rules for consuming a potion apply. But that's not the only way they might be used...
Cultivation
- A forest can be prepared to grow chaos fruit; it requires five different fruit and the ritual Rampant Growth
- Any forest that has been prepared in this manner will produce a single chaos fruit but will produce two less measures every season
- Due to the nature of the chaos fruits this option will only be available until the end of the Spring Equinox 385YE
Whilst some suggested farms or herb gardens might be the best option, after some limited testing it is clear that the fruits grow best amongst the forests of the Empire. There needs to be a certain wildness to the trees, it seems, that an orchard or well-tended vineyard simply does not possess. Whether it is due to the trees present in all forests, or that the magic of Spring that is infused in each of the fruits is so anathema to the order imposed on the land by farms and horticulture of herb gardens, or simply that it is the ritual Rampant Growth that is the necessary ingredient the end result is the same.
To prepare a forest to produce chaos fruit, the ritual Rampant Growth must be cast, using five different chaos fruit as the focus. The fruit are consumed in the process. Only an unopened chaos fruit lammy can be used in this way and the description must be different for each one. The ritual will have its normal effects, but in aditiion the forest will permanently produce 2 fewer measures of magical material, and instead produce one random chaos fruit each event. The fruit to be used must be reasonably fresh, and must be one plucked directly from an area of vallorn. As such this method can only be employed during the Winter Solstice 384 and the Spring Equinox 385YE and can't be done using any fruit gathered from a forest after the Winter Solstice.
Probably Not Vallorn
- The chaos fruits are not vallorn seeds and are not interdicted by the Imperial Conclave
Though "vallorn seeds" are subject to a Declaration of Interdiction these fruit don't seem to be that. These appear to simply be fruit infused with a powerful resonance of chaotic Spring magic. However... while they are likely to be safe to eat it's not impossible that cultivating them might lead to some unforeseen side effects months, years, or even decades down the line. Cautious horticulturalists suggest it might be dangerous to cultivate their growth in a forest in Liathaven, Brocéliande, Hercynia or Therunin due to the presence of an active vallorn there. Other naysayers wonder if the wicked eternal Yaw'nagrah might be involved in their creation, meaning that in theory they should be interdicted. In practice there appears to be no immediate threat from cultivating these fruit, but the Conclave has the power to interdict the magical practice of cultivating chaos fruit should they choose to do so.
The existence of the fruit and their somewhat unpredictable results has also lead a small but vocal number of gourmands to demand that one of the Empire's magical colleges codify a ritual for divining "what will happen to me if I consume this?" Almost immediately rival groups shout them down, claiming that such a ritual would remove most of the fun that comes from putting unidentified food, drink, and other consumables in one's mouth.
That we encourage the Synod to reassure the virtuous that the gift of Kaela represents no magical threat to their souls.
Ematius Ankarien, Declaration of Concord''On Kaela's Gift
- Conclave has reassured the Synod that the Gift of Kaela is not a threat to Imperial souls and urges them to let the people know that
During the Autumn Equinox, the Conclave urged the Imperial Synod to reassure the people of the Empire that the Gift of Kaela represents no magical threat to their soul. The Gift is a magical power granted to every Imperial citizen by the eternal of Ending, allowing them to avoid capture and torment by the Druj by choosing to die instead. When invoked by anyone who has been captured by the Druj, or sees no hope of escape, it reduces the person to ashes in a painless moment, not even leaving a body behind for the orcs to defile. The "only drawback" is that accepting the Gift means that anyone who takes advantage of it cannot be contacted with Whispers through the Black Gate, which has made some priests understandably nervous.
The Imperial Synod has not yet acted on this advice, so eyes naturally turn to the Sevenfold Path to pass on the Conclave's reassurance and to urge the Synod to in turn reassure the people of the Empire that while tragic, the gift is safe to use and potentially preferable to a painful lifetime of torture at the hands of the Mallum orcs. There's also some speculation that this power might be effective at ending the threat of the tormented souls that the Druj create from captured Imperial heroes; perhaps if they could be made aware of it in some fashion they might see a way out of their endless torment?
This conclave requests that the Senate not construct a fane without a suitably worded declaration passing in Conclave.
Aleksandr Novosad, Declaration of Concord''A Matter of Fanes
- A proposal has been made to allow the Arcane Architect to produce fanes
- This would allow the Conclave to have a say in the creation of fanes without needing to use precious declarations of Concord
Also during the Autumn Equinox, the Conclave agreed with Aleksandr Novosad that the Senate should not commission the construction any fane without the support of a suitably worded declaration from the Conclave. The fane is a new discovery, and to have an effect control must be ceded to the eternal it is built for. The entity then takes possession of the fane, and the regio where it is built.
At the moment the Conclave's advice is entirely that; advisory. The Senate could however choose to follow its suggestion. The Arcane Architect is a title appointed by the Imperial Conclave, charged with building mana structures. The fane is similar to a mana structure, and could easily fall within the remit of the Architect. There is a proposal that the Senate consider amending their powers to allow them to commission a fane, as well as to commission sinecures, great works, and ministries. This would potentially place the construction of fanes under the guidance of the Conclave.
The Senate would still need to cede the structure, once built, to an eternal or it would simply be an expensive folly; they could of course devolve that power to the Arcane Architect if they wished, as part of the same amendment, and specifically for use only with the construction of a fane - placing control of the new structures entirely in Conclave hands where they arguably belong - but few members of the Celestial Arch think that is likely to happen any time soon.
Conclave invites the Heralds of Tharim to come and visit the Hall of Words with a view to strengthening the Bonds of the Portal.
Enchantress Claudia Varkulova Remys, Declaration of Concord''Black Frost and Bonds
- The Conclave has requested the aid of the eternal Tharim in protecting the Hall of Worlds
- Tharim has agreed to guard the Hall against heralds, provided certain requirements are met
Enchantress Claudia Varkulova Remys - the Imperial Necromancer and an acknowledged consummate mistress of Winter magic - presented a declaration of Concord to the Conclave relating to a potential offer from the eternal Tharim. The proposal is that Tharim might use his own mastery of certain aspects of Winter lore - specifically oaths and wards and the power of chains and binding to make it harder for heralds - especially heralds of eternals who are under enmity - to enter the Hall of Worlds. Tharim has let it be known, via his heralds, that he is more than happy to assist his friends in the Conclave with this matter.
There is a price, however. Firstly, he will need a permanent presence in the Hall of Worlds. He asks that the Conclave create an image of him - a tapestry, a portrait, a statue, an abstract piece of work that captures his essence, whatever seems most appropriate - to be positioned in the Hall of Worlds. It will need to be in a position of honour and prominent enough that it is visible from every part of the Hall. Once that is done, Conclave need merely support a Declaration of Concord inviting him to protect them, and he will send a fraction of his essence to ward the Hall of Worlds. As long as Tharim and the Conclave remain good friends, and as long as the image remains undefaced, it will become impossible for the heralds of eternals under enmity to enter the Hall of Worlds without an explicit invitation (just as it is in the wider Empire), and the heralds of neutral eternals will not be able to take more than three steps into the Hall of Worlds without verbal permission from an Imperial magician. Heralds of eternals with amity - such as Tharim - would be unaffected.
The Bound King notes that unfortunately a plenipotentiary would still allow heralds of eternals under enmity, or who are not good friends with the Conclave like Tharim is, to enter the Hall of Worlds, but that is a matter for the archmages to worry about.
Gazers and Star
- The Spire of the Seventh Mist have requested access to create a base of operations at the Brilliant Star
- Providing permission would require a senate motion, 10 thrones, and would permanently reduce income of the seat by four wains of mithril a season
The Brilliant Star in Redoubt is a mithril mine known for its eerily phosphorescent walls. Scholars claim that exposure to the light promotes reasoned thought, and eases the understanding of difficult theoretical principles not only in magic but in all advanced disciplines including mathematics and natural philosophy. Unfortunately, the tunnels are also part of an active mine, and do not welcome casual visitors who invariably get in the way - especially given the light is apparently at its strongest around deposits of mithril that the miners insist on digging out of the ground.
A group of students at the Spire of the Seventh Mist - a haven for seers and stargazers - have been either making a nuisance of themselves at the mine, or trying to learn more about its affinity for Day magic (depending who you ask). In order to go further with their research they want to set up a permanent base of operations within some of the tunnels. They have made a promise to stay out of the way of the workers of the mines but as previously mentioned this is not likely to be the case in practice - they will want access to the areas where the workers are busiest simply because that is where all the mithril is.
They're not the first group to petition for privileged access to the active mithril mine. Over the centuries, attempts to integrate scholarship and mining have lead to a number of unfortunate accidents, and both would-be scholars and miners alike have paid a tragic price. The leader of the students Verax of the Seventh Mist believes that if they are allowed to establish a presence in the mines, they will be able to greatly enhance the ability of the Doyen of the Spires to codify rituals that involve Day magic.
Granting the Seventh Mist students access to the mine will require a Senate motion, and reduce the production of the mine by 4 wains of mithril each season. After three months, however, it will improve the ability of the Doyen of the Spires to codify rituals using Day magic by another 5 ranks each season. The civil service note that if the Senate goes ahead with this, an amount of the money paid by Lumi of Wintermark will be remitted to them based on the lower production than they expected when they paid for the seat.
Verax knows that this will be a major ask for the Senate, and has asked the Conclave - and especially the order of the Unfettered Mind to which most of the students belong - to throw their support behind their ambitious project. The Spire of the Seventh Mist has gone so far as to say that if the Conclave raises a declaration of Concord urging Imperial Senate to support the students' request they will show their gratitude by committing to provide 3 ingots of weltsilver each season to the vaults of the Order most responsible for securing this support (to be delivered starting at the Spring Equinox, and assigned by a declaration of Endowment).
Glow in the Dark
- There is an ongoing conjunction of the Key and the Lock that is creating unpredictable minor effects
- Creatures that appear to be tulpas of the Key and the Lock appear with increasing frequency as the Winter Solstice approaches
There's something odd going on with the Key and the Lock. The two constellations - representing the magical laws of Things are revealed and Things can be hidden - seem almost to be revolving around each other. At least in a metaphysical sense. There's been a number of odd effects as a consequence, not least because the constellations have a reputation for creating esoteric or unpredictable effects especially when they are in conjunction with each other. The recent deluge, was made possible by a conjunction involving the Lock, the Fountain, and the Stallion, but this ongoing peculiar magical effect is by no means restricted to large-scale magic.
There have been reports of odd figures appearing at Anvil for example, generally when one or both of the constellation is high in the sky. Some magicians believe they are wild tulpas, spawned from the metaphysical matter of the two constellations and given form in some fashion via the Imperial regio. As the Winter Solstice draws nearer, reports of these odd figures - often swathed in black and hooded - have been increasing in frequency. They are often accompanied by odd snatches of music, and those who interact with them report that they are capable of exerting an unsettling influence. What they want - if a tulpa can truly be said to "want" anything - is not clear. Most likely, given the way things work, the Winter Solstice will prove to be the ideal time to try and find out more.
There's also been a few odd magical effects reported; some divinations have been going... odd. Not providing false or incorrect results, or even misleading ones, just... odd. One mystic reports that for an entire night between sunset and sunrise every casting of detect magic they attempted was accompanied by music and shimmering fields of light that she needed to interpret to gain any useful information. A coven in the Marches report an incident where their casting of Wisdom of the Balanced Blade left them all with an enduring urge to sing rather than speak, that lasted for a very unsettling hour or so. A Freeborn diviner recounts an astonishing incident where a Signs and Portents ritual provided a crystal clear warning that their house was going to burn down, and they were able to prevent it doing so. These incidents seem reasonably rare, but as with the sighting of the tulpa (if they are tulpa) increase in frequency as the Solstice approaches.
Participation
If you perform a divination ritual, or use a spell such as detect magic or operate portal to gather information, or employ the insight ceremony, you are free to roleplay that the information you receive comes to you via an unexpected sense, or requires additional interpretation, or is remarkably clear. Rituals in Imperial lore likely to be effected include: An Echo of Life Remains, Bright Lantern of Ophis, Clear Lens of the Eternal River, Dreams in the Witch House, Eye of the High Places, Eyes of the Soul's Past, Eyes of the Sun and Moon, Hakima's Glass, Hand of the Maker, Secrets of the Soul's Desire, Shadowed Glass of Sung, Signs and Portents, Skein of Years, Ties that Bind, and Wisdom of the Balanced Blade.
Some rituals where Profound Decisions provides information may also be affected by this peculiar effect. Again, the information will not be wrong, or intentionally misleading, but it may be delivered in an odd way or include unexpected side effects as a result of the ongoing conjunction.
Sorcery and the Crimes of De Gauvain
- Two members of House de Gauvain have been declared sorcerers by the Conclave
- The magistrates ask that the two de Gauvain visit the hub so they can ensure they are aware of the restrictions on their behaviour
During the Autumn Equinox, the Imperial Conclave declared Lady Rosalynne de Gauvain and Lord Sidlore Edric Charge de Gauvain to be sorcerers. The charges, brought by Bryce Griffonsong (who at the time was apparently girded as the late Ozren Ivarovich Severyan of House Orzel accused them of deliberately provoking the eternal Hayaak. A third member of House de Gauvain Lady Solene d'Alba was also accused but the Conclave did not uphold the charges against them.
The magistrates have requested that the de Gauvain sorcerers visit the Hub on Friday evening, so that they can ensure they are aware of the restrictions their new status places on their behaviour. Given the recent changes to the Conclave, it has been suggested that the other sorcerers believed to be active at Anvil may wish to do the same so that there is no risk of misunderstandings later. They include the Highborn Ephrael, Jaylus and Keritoth of Zephaniah's Lament; the Wintermark magician Aethelric the Grounded; and the Dawnish Renee du Loire.
Whispering Gate
We often have players come to the make up department for help with wounds and lineage trappings when they're being the subject of Whispers Through the Black Gate. Due to covid restrictions around providing make up for players at this event we will not be able to assist with this. Players will have to do any make up themselves using their own supplies, in a space that is not our make up area.
- During the Winter Solstice it will be possible to perform Whispers through the Black Gate between 20:30 - 21:30
- The current Imperial Necromancer is Ser Claudia Lovelorn
The Black Gate can be opened to allow masters of Winter magic to commune with the spirits of the dead. For reasons that have never adequately been explained, the Gate can only be opened at twilight when it is neither quite day nor quite night. Imperial magicians prognosticate that this means that during the Winter Solstice the ritual can be performed between 20:30 and 21:30. This information is, of course, of particular relevance to the Imperial Necromancer given their powers and responsibilities.
Strongholds and Shrouds
- Magical fortifications have been raised in Mournwold, Ossium, Zenith, and Kallavesa
- There are shrouds over the territories of Sarvos, Ossium, Zenith, and the Barrens
During the Autumn Equinox, magical fortifications were raised by Imperial magicians across the Empire. The Dripping Echoes of the Fen rose in the Drownbark Forest in Ossium, there to support the Winter Sun if the Druj had tried to once again claim the land. Likewise in cold, dank Kallavesa the mists coiled and the fog lay heavy over Kallavesa Marsh, Rundhal Marsh, and West Marsh. Three great walls of thicket and burr were summoned from the Spring realm in Alderly, Echofell, and Lustri.
Magical Penumbral Veils still hang over the Varushkan territory of Ossium, the Druj territory of the Barrens, the Urizen territory of Zenith, and the League territory of Sarvos. Rituals that try to divine information about, or scry into, these territories will first need to overcome the power of the veil and the only way to prematurely remove these shrouds is through use of Piercing Light of Revelation. There may be other veils in place - news of shrouds only comes from places where the Empire has a notable presence.
Urizen lore
The Synod reaffirms its position from Winter 376YE. Lucidianists and those who follow or teach other aura-averse beliefs within the Way engage in neither heresy nor blasphemy when they reject the use of auras. Provided they do not preach in favour of desecration, their beliefs are not in conflict with doctrine.
Konstantin Rabovich Bolotnikov, Autumn Equinox 384YE, Vote: Upheld,919-440- The General Assembly of the Synod passed a statement of principle restating their stance in regards to Lucidians'
- This satisfies the request from the Hall of the Newborn Sun to endorse Lucidianism as a valid school of following the Way
- The rituals in the Book of the Restless Spirit have been added to Urizen lore
The questors and illuminates of the Hall of the Newborn Sun discussed whether Judgement 27 of the Autumn Equinox satisfied the request they made a year ago. After a solid week of debate they reached the decision that it does and the rituals in the Book of Restless Spirit: Silence of the Bronze Bell, Resolution of Falling Stars, A Light that Moves, and Net of Gossamer Chains have all been added to Urizen lore.
But those were not the only rituals that were added to Urizen lore this season... and more information about that can be found in the Shake it off wind of fortune.