The sun beats down.
In this land of buried history, the sun is an ever present reality. The people of sand travel the dunes from well to well, and the people of stone take shelter in their homes from the midday glare.
The sun beats down and the desert winds blow, uncovering things long thought lost. Ancient magics, valued treasures, and relics of the past. A people in two parts, pulled to understand where they came from to know where they go.
The sun beats down, but Andash beats back.
Peace, Even in the Storm
Every spring, the heating surface of the Tanebar sea is buffeted by the last of the winter squalls rolling in off the Great Trade Sea, forming the perfect circumstances for sandstorms, even as far inland as Obregon. This is known, it is understood, and it is prepared for. While the people of Obregon know to prepare by ensuring their doors and windows are sturdy and well set, make sure the house is well stocked with water, and to tithe to the School of Gifts throughout the year.
Obregon is built on many things; a vast outcrop of limestone, the hopes and dreams of its people, the thoroughfares of trade, but most importantly it is built on the ruins of Grand Andash. Part of these ruins form the heart of the School of Gifts, and these ruins are more than just ancient, they are alive. In a manner of speaking.
Any arcanist worth their salt will acknowledge that the magi of Grand Andash had a far greater knowledge of the Arcane arts than we do now, and those who don't will be shocked with what they see in Obregon. Arcane wards link the School and the city to purifying enchantments, to cooling runes, and to a vast web of leylines that do their best to blunt the worst of the Tanebar’s pressures.
The mages of the School do their best to maintain these runes and enchantments. Allowing crystal mana to fall into the vast arcane fonts in the subterranean chambers of The School, ensuring that the runes are carefully cleaned and tended to across the city, and arguing for many hours about the unknown arcanomechanics of the whole affair.
Truly, the School of Gifts has very little solid knowledge of how the whole system works, but to accuse them of that is a fast road to receiving two and half lectures on ‘The Base Hypotheses of the Magestix’ during a dinner party that would otherwise be quite nice. However, with the School of Gifts being diminished as their mage-scholars depart to Mandrianos in an attempt to untangle the mystery that is that godful city, Obregon braces for the storms of spring.
And they arrive with vengeance.
Razor sands and dry winds smash through the streets of Obregon, rake the roads of The Crescent, and shred the carefully allocated plantations of Civisello. Even the sturdy and squat Thunder Oaks being cultivated there struggle to survive as their shallow roots are revealed and their tenders feel the skin torn from their limbs as they attempt to protect their charges.
Spring promises to see these storms continue, but the people of The Tribelands pray for the calmer winds of Summer, where it is simply only scorchingly hot and dry.
Game Information
Spring Sandstorms roll through the Tribelands, wreaking havoc across the Tanebar South, The Crescent, and La Calidez Woods. They were to be expected as the magic of the School of Magic wanes, but there is only so much that can be done about it. Farms, Wildernesses, and Businesses will find that they have produced slightly less as the storms ravage the region. In addition, the Opal Oasis has suffered greatly from the storms, likely affecting production in future seasons. There will be decisions for the Senator of the Tribelands and the Headmaster of the Andashi School of Gifts regarding this dangerous storm, and decisions for the Deed Holder of the Opal Oasis regarding repairs to the Thunder Oak Orchard.
Thankfully, all is well in Mukarrem, at least as well as a land torn by war and the ravages of magic, weather, and human folly.
Water Moves Freely, People Must Too
The pools of Abqala have watered many dry lips since they began to flow. A site of loss and remembrance, it is also a place of refuge and rest. It is here that the Lost Clans of Villacrez made their first contact with the Concord. It is here that nomads come to trade in stories and supplies. It is here that so many Andashi have been laid to rest.
It is here that those who fled Nazafeza await the return to their home, once Concordian armies are able to wrest control away from The Trade Prince. But Abqala was never meant to be a permanent home to people, certainly not this many.
The strain was first felt in the spring of 225AE when The Magistrate made his mark upon the refugees. Food taken in became golden ichor flowing back out, requiring more food to go in again. It was the Senator of Lerona Mere who would make the motion to send the bounty of Civisello north to ease the pressure this would have on Abqala as a whole. Despite this aid, many of the afflicted would perish in the following months, those that remain kept alive by the stubborn sacrifice of kin. But the farms of La Calidez could only support two towns for so long.
The voices around Abqala would then start to speak of new homes, or permanency in the ineffable time it would take to return to Nazafeza. Some spoke of developing the grounds of the oasis, constructing pavilions and huts to house those that would stay in Abqala long term. But for the nomads who place so much reverence on this place of sand would show concerns on this shift towards stone.
Others would talk about moving southwards to Civisello, a place more suited towards permanent residency. Such a thing would require the purchase of lands and the construction of new homes upon them. Yet another burdensome expense during the State of Emergency, even if such investment would have shown certain returns in the productivity of the town.
Those voices would be answered in time; we will not develop Abqala, and we will not pay for new housing. A place would be offered in The Desert Whisperers, to rely upon the upkeep costs from The Senate to feed and clothe them. But Senate funds can only stretch so far without additional coin and mithril to arm and train the new soldiers, and none would be provided by their Senator. Only one option would remain.
The past few weeks would see a mass reduction in the tent city surrounding the oasis as refugees gathered what little belongings they had left, preparing for a life in the sands. Some would take this in their stride, preparing jovially for a new challenge and experience. Others would be seen muttering about supposed heroes as they trudge towards the setting sun. While they would be permitted to return to the pools from time to time, as all are, the opinions of all have become clear.
You are not welcome to stay.
Game Information
The refugees of Nazafeza have been a drain on the resources of Abqala since they first arrived on orders from the Senator of Mukarrem.
Several propositions would be made on how to deal with this issue in the long term, but none would be taken. Instead, the refugees would be cast out into the sands to live a nomadic lifestyle, left to their own resiliency and wit.
As a result, the social and financial impact on Abqala has ceased. However, there are concerns about how well the refugees of stone will fare in the sands, particularly the small number under The Magistrate’s curse still living.
Golden Soil and Woe For Toil
The first great change to Civisello was of wood.
Less than three weeks after the conclusion of The Concord’s Autumn Summit, the settlement of Civisello would suddenly become rife with activity. Nearly a hundred Civil Service employees, surveyors, and contracted workers would descend upon the town. Each of them would bear a missive from the Regional Office of The Tribelands.
Their jobs seemed simple enough. Find the Thunder Oak. Create the Orchard. Get to work.
Like always, however, life laughed in the face of ‘simple’. Unlike the great grove of Nightswood in Resinderholz, the Thunder Oak here grew plentiful but sparse; a dozen small thickets dotted across the verdant farmland. To those experts brought in from The Weald, the trees themselves seemed strange too; far shorter and squatter than the Thunder Oak they were used to, with grey-green leaves and a timber much lighter in colour.
But even if it looked different, it was still wood.
Within a week, the copses of the Ashbark Thunder Oak would be cordoned off, great storage sheds would be erected, and the harvest would begin.
~=~=~=~
The second great change to Civisello was of gold.
Two weeks after the thickets of the Opal Oasis were cordoned off, a groundskeeper and her young daughter stumbled across a peculiar sight while searching for fertiliser. Half-obscured from view behind a large crate, the blackened stone that made up much of the school gave way to a near-perfect circle of brilliant gold. Though they tried to pry it from the wall, they would find no purchase nor seam. It was as if the wall remained a solid slab, despite the obviously different materials that made it up.
However, little would come of this finding. Ultimately, it was dismissed as simply a strange magical oddity of some kind; the kind of thing to be catalogued in the School of Gifts and forgotten quickly.
That was, until it happened again.
Over the course of the next month, teachers would walk into rooms within the farming school and find the walls enveined with the richest of metals. Farmers would open doors and be dazzled by the light reflecting off of the polished walls of gold. Students would marvel at the sight of the now-gilded main hall, that shone resplendently in the evening sun. Though mages would try to divine the cause of these changes, they would find little success.
After a month, the reports of new engoldening began to slow and eventually stopped entirely. With no new effects or occurrences taking place, this change was quickly accepted as perfectly normal by the people of La Calidez Hills.
The sky is blue. The grasses are green. Civisello is now partially made of gold.
~=~=~=~
The third great change to Civisello was of stone.
As farmers and arborists alike left their homes after a particularly brutal sandstorm, they were shocked to discover a countless number of hulking stone figures sat half-embedded in the earth, in places that had certainly been clear yesterday.
Time-worn and sand-weathered, the statues seemed to serve little purpose other than to bother farmers, their cleared farmland now dotted with the rocks. At first, the people of Civisello were cautious, as people are wont to do, but soon the stone figures simply became another part of life, like the golden school and scattered orchards before them. Within a few weeks, not even the most cautious paid them any heed.
This would be a mistake.
One evening, a group of four youths lounged on a small rocky outcropping above the farming school. As they laughed and passed around a bottle of stolen liquor, none of them heard the soft sound of stone grinding on stone. As they looked over the ridge, none of them heard the heavy footfalls behind them as something approached.
But all three of them heard the wet crack, as the great stone golem gripped the back of their friend’s head and squeezed. The teen was dead well before the little that was left of his face hit the ground.
As blood and viscera dripped from its dark stone hand, the golem turned its unblinking eyes on the three that remained.
~=~=~=~
Less than three days later, the settlement of Civisello now lies abandoned in parts; some of its people either dead in the sand or in makeshift tents a few miles away. The Thunder Oak Orchards, once so full of hopeful chatter, are silent. In all the fields, the forests, and the farmland, the stone figures stand. Waiting.
Though the gilded school of Civisello now stands empty, those foolhardy enough to venture near and lucky enough to return speak of strange light flickering in the windows, the taste of fresh fruits and sour smoke upon the air.
Perhaps the fourth change is upon them.
Game Information
The Opal Oasis, a Thunder Oak Orchard based in La Calidez Woods, has finished construction. The Deed for the Opal Oasis has not been nationalised, and as such will be up for public auction during this Summit.
A pair of likely linked phenomena have overtaken the palace-turned-farming-school of Civisello, with parts of the building seemingly turning to gold and a murderous force of stone statues rising from the earth.
Surrounded by an impenetrable force of arcane wards and gilded golems, the Opal Oasis and the town of Civisello have both become impossible to access. Due to the threat posed by these golems, all investments based in and around the settlement will find that they have produced half as much this past season.
There will be a pair of confluxes, first dealing with the golems outside and then the arcane enchantments within. If the first conflux fails, the second will still take place, but with additional difficulty and penalties. Information regarding these confluxes will be provided to the Champion of the Tribes and the Archmage.
Rivers of Life, Cupped in Mortal Hands
To a lone traveller on frigid roads, Hope is the spark of a fire catching alight. To the farmer anxiously watching tilled fields, Hope is the first sprout of green. To the beggar huddled in the doorway, Hope is the sound of a key falling into a bowl. To a loved one waiting at home, Hope is a letter from the front lines. And to the people of Obregon, Hope is congregations with carafe and urn in tow.
Clad in crimson robes, the Akhawat Aldami lead zebu daubed with the Eyes of Lumos in red ochre. With their offerings, hearts beat strongly once more, as water becomes blood and blood becomes life. Heavily laden, this is not the first trip they have made to the city, nor will it be the last time they journey back to the Oasis. Eight congregations take turns making the trip across the scorching sands, each returning with just enough water to stretch over the city until the other shift can make it back. A cumbersome journey, but close enough to still be protected from the worst of the storms whipping across the Tanebar.
For those who remain in Obregon, a rest for the legs does not mean a rest from work. Across the city the people struggle to keep hope and to keep faith, and it is to them that priests bring cup and counsel. Amongst them, there is one that stands out even in the bright colours and sounds; not a Priest of Lumos but no less a beacon of Hope. Heralded by a clanking bell, she preaches of The Masses; followers coming not just from Andash, but also Bordevar, Greenweald, and Lerona Mere to bring aid to both body and soul. Beside her is a steely warrior, her people all too familiar with famine, proving they can return to a time before their lips were always cracked and their head always aching.
In the outer ring of the city, three stoic Ritters preach in the Plaza De Amigos. The nomads encamped there are not so different from their usual flock, travellers seeking places of sanctuary and worship along The Gap. They speak of hardship and endurance, of meeting challenges with faith and hope to emerge again on the other side. In the School of Gifts, the Iarra and his followers find the mages tucked away in nook and cranny. They bring water, food, and the reminder to not become consumed by the pursuit of knowledge lest you lose the ability to share it.
The High Priest himself works alone, his congregation spread throughout the city or making the pilgrimage to the Oasis. He finds those for whom it is too late, and speaks to them of The Peacegiver. He provides mercy, not through steel but with kind words and a last drink to ease their passing.
For a time, Obregon feels normal again. But Summit grows ever closer, and the congregations make ready to return to their homes. The light of hope starts to flicker once more, and as the first safe aquifer starts to drain, doubt creeps in in its place.
Game Information
Supporting a motion from the High Priest of Lumos, Ritter-Apprentice Neumann, priests from across the Concord have spent the past season transporting water from the Oasis to nearby Obregon. As a result, the drought in the city has not worsened.
The Corazón El Acueducto is expected to complete construction as of Autumn 227. The water accessibility issue will persist until this time, or another solution to the problem is found. All Commissions in Obregon continue to cost twice as much Upkeep.
There will be additional information for characters who attended this Conviction.
Lost and Found
The nomadic history of Andash is one shrouded in mystery caused by transience. How many nomadic peoples lived around the time of Grand Andash? How many have come and gone since? There are scholars who would eat their own hands to gain access to even a tiny portion of information such as this, but to the people of Abqala, it came freely and with pleading hands.
Three Clans of Villacres, lost to Andash by territory and circumstance, made themselves known. Those of the Hawk, the Old Seas, and the Peak. Each different in tone, culture and bearing. Each with scars both physical and hidden. Their stories were not ones of a kind Villacres, but one that takes and takes and takes. One that requires the life of a nomad, rather than simply encourages it.
At the Autumn Summit of 226, The Clan of the Hawk took great steps to show themselves before the important people of Andash, and some beyond. They presented their selves, their lives, and their culture. They asked simple questions, and expected simple answers. They spoke of life under The Zekartaal. They spoke of a belief system that would turn the Curate’s irate. They spoke of a desire to live, but sought only the permission to do so should The Concord seek to reclaim Villacres. They simply wanted to know what The Concord intended to do.
Instead, they were granted one of the greatest agreements The Concord has issued to a single people.
Make no mistake. The Clan of the Hawk, and by extension the Clans of the Peak and Old Seas respectively, are not the rulers of Villacres. They are no Nation themselves, with political, economic, military and religious power equivalent to even a single Realm of The Concord. They are a people downtrodden, taken advantage of. Survivors in a world that hates them.
And yet the Agreement shows them favour. A freedom of culture and religion, despite its inherent blasphemy. Military protection and aid to be received from The Concord, while providing what little they can that has not been taken from them by The Zekartaal. Freedom of travel, having their laws respected, the promise that Spheric belief will not be preached within their lands. These and more are the terms of the Agreement, signed willingly by half a dozen of the most powerful Concordians present; not to mention subsequently passed through The Senate successfully.
The terms of the Agreement, as written, do not favour any one party. What must be given can be taken, and so on. But for the astute, for the scholarly, and most importantly for the believers of our religion of The Concordian Church of The Divine Spheres….
It brings questions to mind on what it means for the future.
This Agreement could be a vessel through which souls are damned. It could be a vessel through which The Clan of The Hawk learns the art of making Nations, and they could unite their people and become a true ally that holds the sands of The North. Perhaps it is just a bandage on an amputated yet healed leg; just enough to make its owner feel better about their circumstance.
This Agreement opens up a myriad of paths, uncountable futures.
How will you act when it unfolds?
Game Information
While not an official Treaty, like those between Nations, the Agreement between The Old Clan of the Hawk and The People of The Concord nonetheless spreads like wildfire. While certainly not the first interaction with non-Concordians, its existence puts Villacres in a unique spotlight. One that will need to be watched to see how it evolves. The terms of the Agreement can be found Here.
The Shepherd of the Reeds will receive information regarding the current cultural state of The Clan of the Hawk, as well as updated information regarding the other Lost Clans of Villacres. The Champion of The Tribes will receive requests regarding promised protection granted by Concordian forces, as well as information regarding the Strategic state of Villacres. The Senator of the Tribelands will receive information or requests regarding the freedom of laws, travel and cultural exchange, as per the Agreement.
There will also be Public Special Actions available to Concordian Characters with Congregation, Business or Military Investments, as detailed below. Each option carries with it a risk, as Villacres is still an unexplored enemy Region with little known about it, but also a reward for those daring enough to pursue it regardless. But too much of something carries with it its own risk…
Guard Convoys (Military Only) - This Special Action represents Military Investments providing aid for the other Concordian Heroes travelling in and out of Villacres in the coming Season. Villacres may not have an enemy Army present, but it is no less a dangerous place full of Zekartaal and other threats. If this option is taken, Characters will find that their Military Investment produces a random amount of income between 1-3 Locks, and that the other Public Special Actions are less likely to face danger as they are supported by military-minded heroic allies.
However if this Action is taken notably more than either of the others, then the presence of The Concord (military or otherwise) in Villacres may attract greater attention from its enemies, or cause unwanted friction with its locals.
Trade with the Hawk (Business Only) - This Special Action represents Business Investments freely travelling into Villacres to meet and trade with The Clan of the Hawk. While risky, as what is desired to be traded for and what could be given in return is unclear as of now, Characters that take this option will find their Investment producing a random measure of between 10-20 Wilderness Resources. Characters taking this action will also learn more about the economic state of The Clan of the Hawk.
However if this Action is taken notably more than either of the others, then Concordian Economic interest in Villacres may explode in a careless way, and money-makers of all kinds from all over The Concord will try to find their wealth in this new Region.
Care for Concordian Souls (Congregation Only) - This Special Action represents Congregation Investments travelling alongside other Concordians, attempting to quietly protect them from Blasphemy and Heresy. Characters that take this option will find that their Congregation produces no resources nor additional votes, but will learn a great deal more about the religion of The Clan of the Hawk.
However, if this Action is taken notably more than either of the others, then the risk of Concordian zealots breaking the terms of the Agreement and spreading dissent, both in The Concord and in Villacres, increases dramatically.