Winds of the World - Summer 223

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The cold rains of a harsh Winter sweep across Esterra. Clouds gather above the heads of those searching for answers, skies darken over those that hope for a brighter tomorrow, and time marches on, matching pace with the forces and machinations of this corner of the world. Many find themselves looking skyward, wanting to pierce through the grey veil of uncertainty that has gripped their souls. Many fail.

All listen as the Winds sweep through the World, and all hope that they bring news of sunny skies.

Empires in the east seek to take from those that simply wish to live. New nations rise in the south as others see their foundations shattered. Ancient thrones are uncovered in the north while times shift and change. The duality of the west shatters and tries to unite yet again, struggling against fate.

But still The Concord marches on, shielding themselves when they are able, and pressing forward when they cannot. Even in the face of great defeat - even in the face of betrayal - The Concord surges towards a future of greatness. Even in a time of looming threats far greater than those faced before, Concordians find their Heroes willing to stand again and again, their souls a shining beacon to those that would look for it.

Will you stand against the terror?

War Never Changes

The War Chamber

Over the past three years, The War Chamber has been rocked by controversy, accusations of corruption, betrayal and threats of violence. It has been the site of arguments and some of the greatest decisions in The Concord, all the while being perceived as a faceless monolith; a darkened room where information goes in and decisions come out, and where none can be held to account.

By the same nature, The War Chamber has been the heart of The Concord. Those within know better than any other the cost of war. There is blood on their hands surely, but far more of it is the blood of their enemies.

There have been some attempts to make that version of The War Chamber easier to see for its outside observers, including the publishing of a public report. But even then, it was questioned exactly how useful this could be, particularly as the wars embroiling The Concord grow ever larger.

The saving grace is a strange freedom. With spies in their employ, with the Summit more fervent than ever and blood the punishment for treachery, The War Chamber, really the Summit as a whole, has gained an air of protection and danger. The matter was discussed with the Commandant-In-Chains and a decision was reached.

Among other changes, The War Chamber will be unrestricted.

The Civil Service scrambles to prepare the chamber, to establish processes and understandings within this new dawn for The Concord’s warfighters. In particular they draw their attention to the advisory roles of Warmage and Warpriest, how they have been involved in the manners of The War Chamber and their roles as advisors and liaisons. Rumour even has it that the title of Champion has fallen under the bureaucrats critical gaze. But nothing certain has been stated yet.

Game Information

The War Chamber will no longer be a restricted council, with public attendance allowed going forward, although there are some limitations on this for the sake of ease.

Members of the public will not be permitted to speak while the council is sat. Members of the Chamber, their aides and members of the Civil Service will be given priority sitting and standing space over members of the public. The members of The War Chamber reserve the right to expel members of the public for disrupting their processes.

Alongside this, some changes are being made to the titles of Warmage and Warpriest. In line with a larger set of changes across the event, both roles will be having their terms extended to two Summits. They will retain their votes

With all this in mind, The Concord team wants to be transparent. While we all had a lot of fun with the whispers of spies and scrying, we will no longer run NPC-led espionage content against the physical war chamber. It is far more important that the goings on of that council be allowed to spread across the game, than it remain ‘faux secure’. We hope this shift opens up The War Chamber to many more players.

Leaves Among the Forest Floor

All Characters

The Zekartaal: an enemy bearing feral rage, one The Concord has faced time and time again in victory. The menagerie of Brother Ash, repelled from the gates of Eisen. The army of Sister Oak, buried beneath the Tribelands. The cult of Thorn, torn from the roots of Vassertal. A foe of many years, with a tenacious might that forces The Concord to bring their own steel to bear lest they face ruin. And yet ruin never comes. It always fails against the Realms that hold Southern Esterra dear to their hearts.

In the Winter Season of 223, the forces of the Zekartaal fail to appear at all.

Confusion and caution in equal measure rise among borders facing into Verlorenherz, as Brother Ash and his forces are nowhere to be seen,

Occasional sightings of far-away movement inform the border guards that Verlorenherz remains occupied, yet no enemies make their way to war. Even the normal confrontations and skirmishes that are expected during the seasons are lacking, if present at all. For all intents and purposes, the assault of the Zekarataal on The Concord has seemed to stop.

Over time, the wind once again passes through the trees to the sounds of Wealdish life; birds return to chirping, and rodents to scurrying. Life continues beneath the eaves of the forests, flourishing in the small absence of continued war. The people of the Tribelands feel at ease while sanctifying Abqala, and some Houndspriests of Resinderholz are even able to make some efforts in hunting further north of Wolstad than usual. With no word of war, there is the smallest glimpse of peace.

Word spreads throughout The Concord like wildfire. From Eisen to Jaalstead, people ask if the war against the Zekarataal is finally over. Are our Northern borders finally safe? The people of The Concord rally their questions, sending them out towards anyone of note. The resounding reply, as per the words of the Civil Service Diplomatic Report for Summer 223:

The Concord remains at war with the Zekartaal

Yet the people continue to wonder. There are no battles and no word from neither Generals nor Champions. Focus is sent to other war fronts, and yet no celebrations of victory are held. The people feel like peace is at hand, yet there is no reward. The borders remain manned and ready to fight, keenly awaiting the approach of an enemy that never comes. Messengers idle away their times waiting for missives that will never arrive. The war has halted in all but name, and yet still the iron must be oiled, and the arrows must be fletched.

Across The Concord there is a question asked to which no answer is given. Where are the Zekartaal?

Game Information

The Zekartaal armies make no attacks against The Concord during the Winter Season, and they seem to barely inhabit the border spaces near to The Concord. Vague sightings hint at movement north of Verlorenherz, but Scout the Frontier may reveal more.

Gone Yet Not Forgotten

All Characters

The sky turns from blue to a dull orange as the sun nestles itself behind the dunes, its final rays of light reflecting off of a memory of war won in blood and sand. Jagged metal fused with mithril rises from the earth, taking the form of a massive sword, scarred and broken. It bears the names of thousands that will never greet the coming morning, forever immortalised by the workman's tools and the casting of the passing eye. Yet, as if a blemish upon a young person’s growing features, soon to be forgotten, a name seems to sit upon the peak of memory;

Leader of The First Banner, Hero of the Stand, —-------

The Shattered Memorial of Blood and Bough stands tall in the Tribelands. A site of remembrance for those that fell against Sister Oak, both during the battle and its surrounding circumstances. Hundreds of Bordevarian Billmongers escort a set of dedicated mithril smiths to see the memorial raised and finished, providing both protection and a sense of common honour to the proceedings. Yet one name seems to have been carved from the metal, clearly etched, and then removed after it had been created. The leader of The Bordevarian Army of the First Banner, who led The Concord to triumph during that season of war, has been scratched from its history.

Yet this is no surprise to much of The Concord, as news of the Winter Summit begins to spread. Five of the great heroes of The Concord have turned their coats and betrayed all that it was believed they held dear. Many of them are figures of great renown, having held powerful titles and often for great amounts of time. Yet even still, the fact of their betrayal against The Concord on the field of battle against The Onyx Aristocracy can be grievously felt throughout the Realms. Their names spread in infamy, forever known as traitors.

• Amelia Ludwig
• Leofrick Blackwood
• Charles Winston
• Avalyn Woodlyn
• Oscavar Emberhardt

Meanwhile The First Banner, a fighting force consisting of proud Bordevarian Knights and their entourages, found themselves questioning the very ethos they had been led by for years. They continue to fight across the very corners of The Concord, bringing great victories and honour to their people, yet still the Knights are seen to morosely stare into empty cups. The training yards ring silent with a lack of steel, and the usual bustle of the camps turns into a lacking shuffle.

Squires hear Knights discussing if their Valours have been compromised by following a traitor, and even others hear of far-fetched hope that this is all but a stupid ploy. For the first time in years The First Banner finds itself not immediately at arms, and is left to stew upon its recent histories. For better or worse.

Yet still The Concord remains betrayed.

Across the land of Weiland, and in particular the Duchy of Heartsgrave, scribes and historians are seen in the company of soldiers bearing the crest of Duke Aylan. Appearing to visit the families and lands of those that would see The Concord fall, and often leaving to the sounds of violence or grief. The Duke had declared that the traitors' names would be struck from Bordevarian history as best as local historians could manage, and their lands and possessions would become property of The Kingdom. The remaining family members of the traitors, many of whom declaring that this was the first they had heard of the events, either fought back against the Heartsgrave soldiers or were too crestfallen to say much at all.

Regardless of innocence, The Concord remains betrayed

Game Information

The Concord has been abandoned by its own.

A memorial to the victory against the army of Sister Oak is raised within The Tribelands by Bordevarian mithril smiths. The forces of The First Banner find themselves at a crossroads of internal honour and morality. The Duke of Heartsgrave seeks to remove the traitors from the very history books. There will be decisions for the General of The First Banner at the coming Summit in regards to this betrayal.

The Wise Council has not forgotten this betrayal. They will not let it go lightly.

Brick Upon Brick

The Senate

Dear Hawthorn,

I understand - ideally we would havethe final cost for the Academy of War by three in the afternoon tomorrow, but we can push it to four-thirty at the latest. While you’re checking in with Gerard, could you please ask him to pass on the breakdown for the Nazafeza port? The details for the resourcing isn’t in any of the notes from the Symposiarch, and I need to take out the correct items from The Andash funds.

All the best, Sister Irina.

Sister Irina,

Tomorrow, as in, Sunday the fourth?

It’s not at all feasiblef or me to get the records from Bordevar, nevermind adjust them for difference in currency and inflation in that time. Can we push back the deadline at all? Ican work latet oday and tomorrow to try to get it for Monday? Gerard said that the Symposiarch should have all of the details about the port?

Timothy Hawthorn.

Hawthorn,

Yes, tomorrow as in Sunday the fourth. When on Esterra else would I mean?

The Symposiarch has already said that ‘he would get the numbers’ for tomorrow, so we don’treally have a choice. Do we have any letters on file from a ‘Steward Victoria Dancer’ - he said that they might have some details about costings?

Well, obviously he doesn’t other wise I wouldn’t have asked you to check.

Sister Irina

Sister Irina,

If the Symposiarch really wants the numbers for tomorrow, he can read the bloody letter and get them himself. Better yet, he can take some notes, and stop promising ludicrous timelines that we havet o deliver at the expense of our lunch breaks.

Hawthorn.

---

Between the proposed Academy of War in Bordevar, the trade port in Nazafeza and the ever-illusive Concordian National Infrastructure Agreement, The Civil Service has been called upon time and time again to price strange constructions on the whims of Senators. While surely these constructions are valid, the nature of their request has led to strange pricing structures, cost overruns and construction times that stretch into the years.

Some considered not letting the Senate make custom requests at all, but reason has won out in the Concordian halls of bureaucracy this time, as it does more often than not. A process of appraisal is selected, and a new office is staffed with weary architects and masters of the strange magic of logistics. The new Office of Commission prepares to field every strange request by The Senate, although their reach is limited.

Game Information

To better standardise processes, expectations and methods, The Concordian Senate has gained the power of Appraisal.

The Senate can raise requests for Appraisal towards custom commissions up to twice each Summit. These requests will be assessed in the season that follows, becoming available for Senate construction during the Winds of the World for the following Summit.

This method ensures custom commissions are given proper due diligence in both cost and power but also creates a scarcity of possibility. However, opportunities presented by the Winds of the World, powers such as the Duke’s 'Command,’ and similar opportunities will not be counted against the two options.

Eastern Arcane Medicine

Shardcircle/ Arcadian

Spurred on by the continuing presence of Blasserstreit and other maladies across The Concord, The Andashi School of Gifts once again turns its attention to the treatment of these curses of the flesh. But unlike previous efforts, they do not attempt to mix poultice and herb in an alchemical concoction. But rather they turn their eyes to The Spheres.

By shifting the magics that allow the divine into the mortal, they can attempt to reveal new interpretations of the Spheres' power and they have been successful.

They have called upon Arcadian’s strength - in the same way that the Sphere of Steel can empower the sinews of a warrior and the hearts of the fearful, it too can shield the bodies of the people from illness.

The new ceremony, ‘Ward of Ironclad Vigor’ settles like a shield over a region, protecting its people from simple illnesses and infections. In doing so it allows herb gardens to gather stockpiles and farms to prosper. The new ceremony is a powerful one, given its wide reaching power, and should prove useful against early outbreaks of Blasserstreit, giving surgeons greater time to corral the disease if not treating some minor circumstances outright.

Game Information

A new ceremony has been added to the list of ceremonies for Arcadian. See Ward of Ironclad Vigor for more information.

The Thing with Feathers

The Church/Lumos

As the war with The Onyx Aristocracy grows ever closer, the embers of The Revolution spark ever hotter, and the silence to the north sits ever heavier, The Concord looks to The Church to provide comfort and hope.

But when they look, the people see their steel outnumbered. They see their knowledge lacking. They see their community fractured. And their eyes pass over where their hope should reside.

The defection of select members of House Avalon, along with the death of the High Priest of Lumos, has created a palpable loss within the people of The Concord, especially fellow priests of Lumos; this once-strong beacon of light is dim with woe.

The entries made by Sagites into their tomes begin to take on a sombre tone, not quite as strong in their convictions, and Houndspriests venture into the woods of The Weald with more tentative footsteps than they have before. Mothers and fathers in Weiland, telling bedtime stories to their children, struggle with the messages of happily-ever-after that had come so easily before.

Further, the seam between the Lumos Priests that sought to bring justice and those that sought to bring truth has begun to tear; arguments about the nature of Lumos in front of civilians needing comfort are pushing more to darkness than they are bringing them into the light.

The Church, The Concord, and the people need to see their hope restored, in whatever form that may take. The light of Lumos must burn brighter than it has before, to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and guide those who are lost.

Game Information

The dissonance between old and new Lumos, along with the loss of the High Priest, has resulted in a waning of hope in the hearts of The Concord. While not catastrophic at present, a Concord without any hope at all will surely crumble.

There will be decisions to be made by Priests of Lumos, including the High Priest.

To Use it Well

The Church/Stallia

Not even spaces dedicated to The Spheres are safe from the grotesqueness of Blasserstreit, as evidenced by The Cathedral of The Iron Star in Vassertal. What was once a shining light of The Spheres, topped proudly with Arcstone that glinted in the midday sun, is now a putrid limb throbbing from its infection. Towering over the congealment of blood and rot that has claimed the streets of Hasselbach it stands a monument of refuse and ruin.

Although the sacrifice of Pathfinder Hiram enabled Concordian Heroes to safely enter The Cathedral without having to see the outside of this malformed mass, the same could not be said for within its once-holy halls. Those that ventured below detailed walls pulsating with blood, echoing screams, and horrors that defied retelling. While this harrowing journey below resulted in the loss of both the High Priest of Lumos and the High Historian, it was not one without victory.

Covered in detritus and blood, an artefact from The Cathedral was dragged through the portal by the High Priest of Stallia, and cleansed by the Curates. The Pulpit, once dedicated to The Star Serpent of Stallia in times past, now sits in the sanctified square of Passage for all to see.

Though not used in several decades, the references to the Pulpit in records taken from Vassertal refer to it as a Spheric Artefact. Beyond these records, there are also stories from individuals who fled Vassertal of rare vision-rites enabled by the Pulpit. Those that took part in these rites were said to see visions of the courts of long-dead Kings, the building of spired cities, and even the fire of dragons raining down from the heavens. One such individual was able to recall the process of their rite, and detailed watching Atrugan of The Headwater’s palisade burn to the ground.

Or rather, detailed watching the palisade burn to the ground, torch in hand, after lighting the blaze themselves. Based on these recollections, and the limited research notes on hand, it appears that the Pulpit enables individuals to view one of their past lives; to experience something of what their soul has done, prior to their passing through The Spheres to manifest into their present form.

If so, the Pulpit, and any other Spheric Artefacts that The Concord is able to find, would be a boon to The Concordian Church of The Divine Spheres. They would offer an opportunity to further understand The Spheres, and perhaps form a connection with them in a way that even Artebazaan has not.

Game Information

All Priests of Stallia will receive information in their character bags regarding the process of acquiring the Pulpit.

The Pulpit has been placed at the Church, but will likely require additional efforts to attune it to The Concord. If this is successful, there may be a chance for a Past Life Vision this Summit

Introduced Species

Mukarrem/The Idrian Cabal/The Shard Circle

It is dark.
Expanding nothingness, like ink dropped into water, is spreading across the sky.
A tear.
A break.
A crack
        rips
               through the openness and swallows the stars in the sky.
Gulp
     after
           starry
                  gulp.
The wind shifts, then swells, then howls.
          Blades of grass
               and petals of flowers
                                        fly,
       dance briefly,
           streaked in moonlight,
                       joining the voided mass.
The grass grows. Slowly, at first,
        then faster.
                    And faster.
                               And faster.
                                                  It grows until it towers
                                                                           over all.

Then it is ripped from its roots, shafts of green taller than the Spires in Obregon consumed in an
instant, before their height can be noted.

A prairie dog appears from a burrow. It does not hope. It does not know. It does not fight.
It is.
       And then it is not
                           a prairie dog.
                                          It is a roiling hunk of much more flesh and viscera than it had in life.
                              Then it is not at all.
                                Absorbed by the nothingness.
Then it all stops.

The Mage dusts the soil and sand off of their robe as they rise. They turn to their assistants.

“Although the animal may have impacted the angle of the disc, prior to that, the connection did seem to be severed for a moment,” they say, a furrow between their brow.

They all stand, books in hand, consternation on their faces.

“Would it be worth trying to replicate the results again?” asked a younger assistant, cheeks still rosy from relative youth.

“With the animal included, I mean.”

They all nod, slowly. The Mage shrugs.

“It won’t do any harm to check,” they say.

Game Information

Rumours abound that the site on which The Idrian Cabal has been experimenting has been notably changed.

No Concordian Heroes have been able to venture there, nor have they been able to discuss these rumours with anyone who claims to have first-hand knowledge.

There will be decisions to be made by the Archmage and the Senator for Mukarrem.

Two People, One Realm

Andash

“Once, long before hands learned to write and eyes learned to read, Andash was inhabited by the Sun and the Moon. Watched over by The Guardian far in the West, the two siblings shared the land, the water, and the skies together. Day after day, and night after night, the siblings rose and rested in parallel. Though there were times where they squabbled - where the Sun wished not to sleep, but to dance over the land forever, and the Moon wished to stay awake, to study the earth below, only the watchful gaze of The Guardian was needed for them to make amends. Such was the way, for more time than can be counted.

But as aeons passed, The Guardian began to tire, and slump with age. While in times before it towered over the Sun and Moon, each new quarrel between the siblings wore more and more on its aged form. As they both sat high in the sky it called out for them to stop their foolish fights, but it had shrunk too far from their heights for them to hear.

So the Sun danced and danced in the sky until the ground below its rays blistered and melted away from its heat, revealing the stones that lay beneath. And the Moon studied and studied the land until the intensity of its stare formed valleys in the malleable sands.

In time, others saw the Sun’s golden dancing, and wished to join them on the stone, building spires to try to reach their heights. And, in time, others saw the Moon’s intense stare, and travelled the land, trying to understand what they could see.

But, just as their Guardian had, the siblings began to grow tired. More and more they needed to sleep, until, at last, they returned to their parallel rests.

The people of Sun and of Stone continued building their spires, and the people of Moon and Sand continued to roam the land. All at once, Andash returned to as it should be, a realm of two people, existing in balance, watched over by The Guardian.”

---

All over The Tribelands and Mukarrem, orators clothed in frigid blue and burnt orange weave similar tales around town squares and campfires alike; tales of an Andash made up of two distinct wholes. Many of those who hear these tales recall similar stories from earlier in their lives, but their details have been lost over the years, as has much of Nomadic culture in recent times. While some who claim dual identities have been dismissive of these fantasies, those whose hearts reside in either the Sand or Stone hear truth in these tales.

Introducing themselves only by their Nomadic name, the Al’Mai storytellers have also been directing those who will follow to ritual sites, and presenting them a choice. A choice of identity, of place, and of name. A choice between Sun and Stone, and Moon and Sand.

This same choice is offered to all Andashi who ask; an opportunity to claim their City name or Nomadic name, and in doing so, cast the other away forever. It will not be forced; a choice forced is no choice at all. But the choice will be offered all the same.

For Andash should always have been a place of two wholes, not halves

Game Information

While no Al’Mai representatives have indicated they will be attending this coming Summit, their presence is still felt; all Andashi, individually, will be offered the choice between their City and Nomadic identities through choosing one name to go by.

As such, they have shared the details of their Naming ritual with the Andashi Ego, who will be available on the evening of day two to assist any and all Andashi individuals who wish to make this choice.

Additionally, there will be choices for the Senators of Mukarrem and The Tribelands.

Blessed by Fitful Sleep

Andash

As it has been for more moons than calendars can count, The Tribelands continues to be a place of opposites.

To the north-east, the land is quiet, the vastness of The True Wilds untouched by the footfalls of either friends or foe. Within its ring of obsidian spines, The Tower in The Wilds waits for those troubled by dreams to venture forth, to visit; a silent sentinel of secrets untold, a waiting and listening figure. And yet none come.

Declared forbidden by the people of Andash through their Ego, The Tower remains unvisited, either due to this decree, the fear of the unknown, or the pull of other duties

The enchantments that once cast its ominous image into the minds of those dwelling in The Tribelands now seem to recede, like the tide pulling away from a forsaken shore. Individuals experiencing spasmodic visions and disrupted dreams find themselves resting easier, no longer seeing visions of a place not remembered. Those that spoke of The Tower in fervent whispers find themselves drifting to other topics, unable to recall what they were discussing in the first place.

The Tower itself returns to its fitful slumber, slipping quietly away from the minds of The Tribelands, its mists ensconcing its form like a blanket of unknowing. And so, the silence of the land returns, its stillness heavy with the weight of a past not yet ready to be remembered.

Meanwhile, to its west, the land is alive with movement and excited whispers. Kodiri Temple, the most recent and expansive of the efforts to uncover the secrets of Grand Andash, is filled with Delvers and Janissaries and Arcanists, all seeking to discover more of their forgotten forebears.

Those that make the journey back from the excavation site into Obregon describe a huge, carved cavern covered in glittering jewels, and corridors lined with ancient armouries, and offices of long-dead sages. Some even bring with them ancestral Artisan Crafts of wealth and warfare, previously thought to be lost to time.

As the exploration continues, more and more workers flock to the site, each hoping to gain insight into their ancestors, and the potential to be at the helm of the next great discovery. Even those simply looking to swell their coffers are drawn to the excavation; artefacts, resources, and knowledge can all be traded for coin, if one knows where to sell them.

Yet none can be certain of what lies ahead; for each small discovery made, more questions about the nature of Kodiri Temple are unearthed. Rumours of ritual chambers coated in blood, still-beating human hearts, and an inner sanctum none can yet access can’t be true, can they? Only time, and further excavation, may uncover the answers.

As all of these looming landmarks threaten wealth and woe in equal measure, there is something to be celebrated. By the hands of priests, skilled crafts folk and Concordian Coin, Abqala has been returned to its former glory. Seasons past, the forces of Sister Oak used the honoured meeting site as a place from which to launch their attacks. They defiled the bodies of Andashi ancestors and poisoned the waters. While it is likely that the stones and riverbeds will forever carry these scars in some way, once again the Nomads can gather here, and as the days grow long in the Summer sun Abqala is once again a place of celebration, remembrance and life.

Game Information

Due to the lack of magical or mundane exploration into The Tower in The Wilds, the enchantments that pushed its visage into the sight and minds of those in The Tribelands have abated. The Tower itself is no longer visible in The Tribelands, and those plagued by dreams of its form are plagued no longer.

The Tower is, again, a place that cannot be properly recalled, nor properly spoken about. Those that wish to do so will now need to engage in arcane research to discover more information about The Plane of Blades and its misted surrounds.

The dig at Kodiri Temple continues to yield results. Characters who assisted with the excavation will receive the first parts of this bounty in their character bags in the form of minerals, magical items and information, chosen randomly, with Andashi Delvers receiving additional rewards. There will be some items from Kodiri Temple available for public auction. There will also be continued decisions for the Kodiri Temple excavation for the Senator of The Tribelands, and any Andashi Delvers based in The Tribelands.

The sanctification of Abqala returns the site to as it once was, before the attacks of the Zekartaal. As unchanged as it can be, the falls are a gathering place for the Nomads of the Tribelands and a site of festivals, funerals and more. The following investments will find that they produced as if they were a tier higher due to the works at Abqala:

• Azura Del’Solis
• Halam Del’Lumos
• Vendetta

Beastly Burdens

Kingdom of Bordevar

The Wolfden Brute continues to wander the lands south-west of the City of Weiland, still protected by the local legal customs of the Duchy of Heartsgrave. Its presence clearly known yet still unable to be hunted, the people prepare their homes and farms, warning their children not to stray too far from sight lest they be taken like the odd cattle.

With a hunger unending, the beast seems to gain confidence over the months as it faces little-to-no danger, and even less consequence. Its travels begin to be tracked through a combination of half-eaten beasts of burdens and ravaged storehouses.

Its tastes seemingly refining as the days go by, it is the raiding of a Noble’s winery that becomes the most renowned of its unpunishable deeds. Only but a stone’s throw from the City of Weiland, a minor warehouse dedicated to the storage of various alcohols imported from Lerona Mere reported an unknown break in to the town’s local guards. The investigative report revealed a small list of things found within it:

• Piles of broken glass and significantly less full bottles as originally recorded.
• Wooden boards ripped from the floor, their stain seemingly lost.
• A pair of bones which are assumed to be from the legs of a cow

The report, while causing more confusion for the guard than anything else, caused a wave of concern to raise in the local populace. If the beast has gained enough confidence to raid this close to Weiland-proper, then what is to say it won’t enter the City itself? An answer to this public concern came quickly in the form of a direct response from Duke Aylan, declaring the Wolfden Brute as game to be hunted by named Heroic Squires seeking their Knightly Valours, its hide and any other useful materials to be harvested and delivered to any aggrieved citizenry.

Shortly after this public announcement, the Ducal Decree was put into effect and Wolfden Rangers were seen carefully baiting and herding the beast back towards its rightful home. Soon to be hunted and now facing more resistance than it ever had, the Brute reportedly caused great fuss and in its rage even injured three of the Rangers attempting to lead it away, permanently removing their abilities to fire their bows. Its dangers taken lightly at the beginning, the people of Heartsgrave were quickly reminded how it earned its name

Now under guard just outside the Wolfden Woods, occasionally being thrown an animal carcass to keep it fed while the Rangers wait for the Heroes to appear, the threat of the Wolfden Brute is all but gone for the people of Weiland. While this may be of little comfort to the grieving family of the young shepherd who was taken months ago, nor the shattered winery of the Noble, the promise of a successful hunt gives many of the people of Bordevar some comfort.

Game Information

The notable monster named The Wolfden Brute has continued to cause trouble in the south-west of Weiland while the bureaucracy of Local Customs takes time to come into effect. The following investments have been damaged:

• Vid Whisperrose
• Sir Lampeter Newcastle

There will be a Minor Conflux at the coming Summit to hopefully deal with The Wolfden Brute once and for all.

By the decree of Duke Aylan of Heartsgrave, boon has been given to Heartsgrave military investments and bane to Heartsgrave Wilderness investments. All Heartsgrave military investments will produce an additional lock this past season if whole or will be automatically repaired if damaged, while all Wilderness investments will produce half as many measures as normal.

Where the Hills Grow Blooded

Bordevar

What is at first little more than whispers among the Nobility becomes rumours among the commonfolk. It grows into someone being fairly sure they saw a proclamation about it somewhere and from there it shifts into full blown common knowledge. By the time The Wise Council is ready to make a statement, it is already known to all. The Duchy of Starscar is to be granted to a Noble of the realm at the coming Summer Summit.

Some question the wisdom of the act. Starscar, with its lands including The Lenscaster Hills, areas in the south and the frontier township of Arbington, is the most threatened land in Bordevar. Truth be told, all of Starscar could be captured under an Onyx Aristocracy banner by the time the year is out. Surely Everguarde along the border with Resinderholz and Vassertal is the smarter choice?

But much like the rest of Bordevar, The Wise Council refuses to acknowledge defeat as a possibility. Starscar will stand against the predations of The Onyx Aristocracy with its Duke at its head and its Sheriff at its heart. To countenance any alternative is to admit defeat.

But even still, some fear this may be a poisoned chalice. The Duchy is a great position of power and authority within Bordevar, second only The Crown and The Council, but to fail is to have your Nobility stripped from you, never to return. Taking up the mantle of Duke of a doomed Duchy may be foolish before it is glorious.

Game Information

The realmic title ‘Duke/Duchess/Dukite of Starscar’ will be available for election this Summit to any Bordevarian Noble. The title will be elected by a Noble council of the Realm, convened by the Ego, The Duke of Heartsgrave and the Senator of Weiland. The Duke of Starscar will hold the title for two years from this date, requiring re-election at the Summer Summit, 225AE.

The Duke of Starscar will have similar powers and responsibilities to the Duke of Heartsgrave, such as the Boon/Bane and Command. The Seat of Starscar is the Vaulderin Armoury, a small border-fort containing supplies to arm a sizable militia and even Knights. It functions as a Tier 3 Military Investment. The Duke of Starscar will also have mandates, but those are to be revealed to them alone.

At the same time, the Sheriff of Arbington title will be available to any Bordevarian commoner or Knight. Elected by public vote, the Sheriff of Arbington acts as representative of the commonfolk of Starscar and ensures that commerce and law within the region functions smoothly. The Sheriff of Arbington will hold their title for a year.

A Storm Descends

Iron Valley

The sky remains a stone grey, near matching the surrounding peaks of The Steinvault Mountains were it not for their snowcaps. The Stormgrey Winter, having descended months ago, continues to plague those of The Valley. In Windholme, severe winds that would threaten to topple all but the most sturdy of structures become the least of present concerns as rains flood some rivers and ice forms on others. While the savagery of wolves and bears has for the most part passed, danger remains poised to threaten The High-Valley at all times.

It is in The Low Valley that the weather calms. The sky remaining grey and the rain falling far less heavy, the beasts remaining vicious but not savage. The Arcline of The Concord, thanks to the efforts of The Shardcircle, has been focused on Bolsterlee to ensure that The Bolsterlee River does not flood. Running through Strivington, the river finds itself full and often overflowing from the consistent rains, yet not flooding and taking with it the livelihoods of the people making what they can of the poor weather.

Valleyfolk huddle around what fires they can find, almost constantly wet and cold. Yet still some find the passion to push for what they believe, especially around the Mithril Shrines of Windholme.

Congregations of all natures are seen across The High-Valley preaching and teaching, educating those that will listen and even some that will not. The word of The Spheres is heard from the glimmering sight of Deorlings to the battleworn base of The Goddream Pinnacle. An endeavour performed by Priests of various styles and creeds, all in the efforts of silencing the spread of the influence of The Bear Cult.

And throughout The High-Valley, little to no heresy is heard. The Spheres’ influence takes hold yet again, as families share around their fires feelings of hope, courage, change, truth, unity and prosperity. The Spheres are known in The High-Valley; from The Age of Stars, to the unknown tomorrow.

Yet there are many that find themselves unable to share the warmth of a comfortable fire and hot meal, as the reality of a warring peoples returns.

Hundreds of Concordian Military Forces are seen throughout The Vale of Stags and heading north into The Steinvault Mountains. Their goals are simple and their methods thorough; guided by local Valleyfolk and Summitters alike, yet facing great difficulty nonetheless. On the orders of the Senator of Windholme and The Reeves Council at the Winter Summit of 223, Concordian forces work to force The Cult of the Bear back to its roots. Yet, as expected of an enemy so ingrained in the land itself, the journey proves difficult.

The stone cold skies and harsh weather prove much to The Cult’s benefit, as their defences become joined in land and steel alike. Reports of simple yet brutal traps are quick to reach the ears of Concordian heroes. Large iron traps designed for mountain beasts tear the legs from unwary scouts, while holes hidden with dirt and snow ensure a short fall onto a sharp stick. Wooden logs propelled by simple ropes crush the chests of those too sure of foot, and falling trees land on those not quick enough to rush out of the way.

Then comes the flood of snow.

The avalanches are minor at first, a mere hindrance during the climb through the mountain paths barely becoming a sludge of frost and dirt covering the boots of cold Concordians. Yet as the traps persist, so too does the snow. Occasionally punctuated with a pocket of resistance, quickly slain by competent warriors, the worst of it seems to be traps. This soon changes as the mountain peaks grow closer, the paths less wide and The Cultists more skilled and dangerous.

As if progressing through the chapters of an exciting book, the journey has become more difficult. It is almost as if this very realisation crystallises in reality as the first of the large avalanches hits the Concordian forces.

Bodies are flung down the mountains, catching on the sharpened branches of trees, and buried beneath many feet of snow. Many barely claw their way out of their frosted burials only to be caught upon the blades and arrow tips of snarling enemies. Others find their journey to The Spheres brought forward as their eyes and mouths fill with unmelting ice.

But the journey remains unending, and the forces must press forward; marching over the remains of ally and foe alike, others lost so far beneath their feet that only the thawing Summer sun will reveal them. The stones of The Steinvaults remain cold and uncaring to the death around them, only caring to move as boulders to crush unfortunates found in their path.

Two more avalanches come.

Battered, weary and colder than nearly any Winter before, finally the carved stone peak of a Temple comes into view. The march is at an end for those that risked their lives, and a chance for the Heroes of The Valley provided. The time of the Age of Heroes is now, and the lost will be remembered.

But will the Cult prove victorious?

Game Information

There will be a difficult Skirmish at the coming Summit for The Iron Valley.

Military Investments move into The Steinvault Mountains to attack the Bear Cult directly, clearing the paths of traps and danger at great risk to themselves. Concordian Heroes leading Military Investments to Pursue the Bear may tell stories of brutally designed traps, deep snows and bone-biting cold.

Congregations pilgrimage across Windholme, hoping to instil a further understanding of The Spheres in the high-valley. Concordian Priests may tell stories of familial unity brought around the fires of home.

The following Military Investments are damaged:

• Rahgret
• Ash El’Ankashi
• Winfred of the Vale
• Jotunn of Baelags Holdfast
• Elora D’arcy

All characters who did not worship The Stone Bear will find that their investments have produced less. Investments in Bolsterlee will produce approximately a third less, investments in Windholme will produce far less, perhaps up to half depending on investment type.

The only investments exempt from this effect are Congregations. The strong social response against The Bear Cult, the cultural ties in the Stormgrey Winter and the Mithril Shrines have returned The Church to prominence in The Valley. All Iron Valley Congregations will act as if they performed the Tithe, Petition and Mysticism downtimes this past season without reduction.

Northern Attitude

Iron Valley / Kingdom of Bordevar

Across The Steinvaults there is a tension in the air; like a taut bowstring it threatens conflict with its very existence. For two years, the illusive Boar’s Head Clan, a group of brutal mountainfolk, have ventured down from the mountains in the Summer.

Into Bordevar and Windholme their rugged trekkers would wander, seeking out Reeves and Nobles and making the same offer; guided travel through their secret paths in exchange for an eclectic mixture of resources. While the relationship began amicably, it soured over time, with The Concord unable to afford their toll and The Boar’s Head reacting poorly to unsanctioned forays into their territory. Tensions grew and blood was spilt, but the circumstances were as opaque as a Winter blizzard.

As Summer looms again, the decisions of Winter come to the fore. The Reeves of the Iron Valley debate their stance on the Boar’s Head night after night. Miro of Brakkenloh is chosen as The Valley’s representative, though the final message is well-worn from the many hands a part of its crafting. The Boar’s Head will be given the final choice: either begin to stand with The Concord, first as a partner and then as a member, or stand against The Concord. There is no other option. The notice is taken in the melting snows of The Steinvaults and left behind on a stone marked with a simple banner of blue bearing the Concordian spiral.

The Bordevarians are somewhat more direct. The Boar’s Head have been conducting their own forays into southern Weiland during the Winter months, emerging from the mountains into the depths of The Wolfden Woods to log the timber rightfully belonging to The Dukes of Heartsgrave and Starscar. After a number of small scuffles between layfolk hunters and Boar’s Head loggers it is Lord Arthur Rallick, Master of House Rallick, that responded. With mercenaries paid for with Ducal funds and bearing the falcon on yellow and black of the House, Lord Arthur falls upon the loggers like a thunderbolt. Disciplined longbow fire is joined by the armoured charge of Knights and mercenary billmongers. The thirty or so surprised interlopers are run down without mercy. Such is the punishment for trespassing, theft and insult to the people of Bordevar. The addition of mercenary billmongers allows the House Rallick forces to capture the Boar’s Head leader, a veteran warrior named ‘Grin’

As Spring comes into its own, the passes are open and the delegation from The Boar’s Head is missing. The way is silent. Those Summiters brave enough to wander the paths tell the same story as King’s Rangers watching the woods; The Boar’s Head are readying for war, either because they think The Concord is coming or because they mean to bring an avalanche to the low places remains unclear. But what is known is that there will be blood on the snow and death on the stones before too long.

Game Information

As conflicts continue to grow between the strange people of The Steinvaults and The Concord, war seems inevitable. It appears that The Iron Valley’s offer of unity or enmity against the Bordevarian insistence of enforcing their borders has brought questions of trade to an end.

To reflect the changing strategic circumstance, The Steinvault Mountains have become a region on the map that is accessible to Concordian forces during the Summer Season (E2 this year to E1 next year). This region borders Weiland and Windholme. There is a Boar’s Head Clan force within The Steinvaults, but its strength and orders are unknown to The Concord without attempts to ‘Scout the Frontier.’

There will be decisions relevant to this issue for the Champion of The Valley, the Champion of the King, The Duke of Starscar, the Sheriff of Arbington and The Reeves Council.

The Lousy Smell that Smacks of Hell

Bolsterlee/ Athermers Folly

The work crews arrive quickly, spurred by both the financial and physical support of the Concordian Heroes aiming to return the Mithril Mine to its proper glory. Through generous donations and a smattering of Senate funding, the repair costs of Athermers Folly were well and truly able to be met and put to good use. Materials and the wagons to transport them were offered nearly as soon as the relevant Civil Service announcements were posted. Concordian folks of all Realms were quick to put their names towards the repair of the mine, knowing the importance of Mithril and feeling a sense of belonging in their contribution.

The Bailite Woods, a perhaps troublesome name given the Nation's recent resurgence, becomes flooded with eager miners and support crews. Smiling faces, excited voices and heavy footsteps scare away the skittish inhabitants of the Wood’s floors. Even despite the threat of the coming Illsevir, spirits are high as camps are set up all around the entrance to the Folly.

However it isn’t long before reality and the locals of the Mine drag the horrid and rotten truth of the issue from the Mine’s entrance at the end of a long rope

A corpse, crushed and mangled from one of the cave-ins caused by the lack of work done in the recent Season. Barely recognisable as a local from Strivington, recently turned old enough to be allowed to work in such conditions. Not the first to fall, nor the first to be uncovered.

New arrivals to the site find a graveyard but a small distance from the area, complete with headstones carved in Iron Valley stylings. Nearly all of the graves have been filled, the cursed record keeping of the Folly allowing for an easy record of who still needed to be returned to the surface, even if just to bury them again. Few headstones remain to be planted.

Amidst Illsevir attacks, calm Winter rains and the maladies of the mine itself, the crews manage to open up much of the mine and even isolate the western shaft which spews such foulness. The Woodswater flows clear out into the sea, although it will be some time before its banks are healed.

For now, the flooded and foetid western shaft remains barred, both by recent additions and the acts of those who died attempting to discover its mysteries a year ago. It is a haunted place that looms in the minds of the workers, despite its silence. But some swear they can hear scrabbling at the walls, as if someone is still trying to dig their way out.

Game Information

Having fallen into an amount of ruin, bodies are still being uncovered from within Athermers Folly. Despite this, Concordian efforts have allowed a reconstruction effort of great success utilising Senate funds, Concordian donations and the assistance of a few Concordian Mine Investments

The mine will produce a limited amount of mithril this season, mostly from supplies stored within the shafts that were prepared to be brought up before the current set of maladies. This wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the extensive support offered.

While the works have primarily dealt with repairing the Mine and returning it to a functional state, there still remains a secret within that must be handled by Heroic forces. There will be a Conflux at the coming Summit that will be key to returning the Deed to its full function. More information will be made available to the Deed Holder.

From Ruins to Riches

The Iron Valley

The catapult sits in its dugout with all the grace of a sleeping pig; overgrown with moss and vines on the edges, frame well-worn by use and the resting behinds of its crew. As the afternoon turns to evening, the day-shift is being rotated out for the night crew. Orders remain the same; fire five shots at the fortress over the next few hours and be home in time for supper. It’s hardly ‘warfighting work’ but it keeps the wormridden in cover and lets them know that The Valley had never truly given them Baelags, they are just squatting in it.

There are nearly two-dozen catapults all up and down the open ground between Valleyfolk territory and the fortress, most of them hobby-built as signs of defiance among the local farmers and smiths, most of them occupied with the same intensity of recreational fishers or retired shepherds.

Oslag taps out the last of her pipe’s ash as Varendin wanders over. The taller man is young and strange-voiced; an immigrant from Resinderholz as a boy, he never shook the accent even if he did find the ability to smile up in the Valley. The lanky youth points up past the catapult at the looming fortress blessed with afternoon sun.

“You managed to hit zat crenelation near ze tower did you Oslag? We’ve been trying to hit zat for veeks.”

Surely no sane human sounds like that. The Greenweald is a silly place.

“What are you talking about lad? You know Gertha Bear can’t hit anything higher than three strides at this distance,” corrects Oslag, eager to be home and make sure her boys have brought the goats in.

“Zen who took it out?” points Varendin excitedly. “And the rest of them too!”

Oslag turns around and for the first real time today takes in the shape of the fortress. Varendin was right - those heavy arc stone crenelations were missing. Most of them, anyway

“Well it certainly wasn’t us. Don’t think it was anyone else on this line either,” she says slowly, racking her brain for the meaning of it. “Vell if you didn’t do it, who did?”

---

After standing strong for nearly a millennium, Baelag’s Holdfast has begun to be dismantled.

The Illsevir forces within Baelag’s have begun the deconstruction of the 973 year old fortress that has stood since The Valley’s Age of Stone. Many of its carefully constructed stones, once the pride of renowned Valley Craftsfolk, have been displaced from their rightful seats. The towering crenellations, once looking over near the entirety of Windholme and Brotherslee, now instead blindly stare into the darkness of closed wooden crates. The history of The Iron Valley has begun to be torn apart in front of their helpless eyes.

The cries of the people of Goddream’s Pinnacle, the town beneath the mountain of the same name, are heard throughout all of Esterra. A focus of so much of The Iron Valley’s pride and determination, a physical manifestation of their history and belonging, has begun to be slashed from the landscape that may as well have formed around it.

After so long, the guarantee of its stalwart figure has begun to be questioned. Such demoralising news landed poorly among The Valleyfolk, but soon after an even more devastating rumour began to spread.

What have they done to the other Fortresses?

Game Information

The Illsevir have begun to dismantle Baelag’s Holdfast, reducing the Fortress’ maximum strength by 1000 this Season. With no clear motivation available, and no obvious intent to stop, speculation at the reasoning and efforts of the enemy are all over The Concord. With no Concordian having set eyes on the region of Brotherslee in many years, there is worry that Alfwens Wall and Hjorvarth’s Rampart may be facing similar disassembly.

While this does represent a potential chance for The Concord, the ramifications it may have for the culture of The Iron Valley are massive.

It is in Your Spirit, or it is Nowhere

Lerona Mere

On the 3rd of September, 223, The Lerona Mere Parliament burns to the ground with nineteen representatives of The Villa Estate, twelve of The Sigils, dozens of workers, sixty-one sailors of The People’s Gift, and nearly two-hundred protestors inside.

Over the last eighteen months, the inaugural Parliament has struggled to effect real change in the realm. Between internal bickering, difficulties manifesting power and the pressures of both Concord and warfare, less than a third of the acts brought to Parliament were successfully passed and actioned, mirrored in their inability to bring relevant pressure to the Heroes of the realm. The Parliament became a thorn and a joke in the eyes of both citizens and Heroes.

The Parliament itself has been in crisis for weeks. Months of difficulty producing any real results have placed The Parliament in poor standing with layfolk. Newly-arriving parties see fit to attack parliament by paying for mercenary orators to stand in Parliament Square and attack its speeches, unaware that they are attacking the foundations of the house they meant to occupy. The Villa Estates ‘Land Dispersal Act’, that would see abandoned land in The Madre Campo be held in large parcels for purchase by notable farming families, is opposed by The Revolutionaries ‘Farming Liberation Act’ which would see these same parcels broken up and sold to city dwellers for cheap fees. The Bravos support The Revolutionaries, and The Sigils support The Villa Estate. A blockade. As is the norm.

But internal disunity within the month of August sees Colonel Fredoricci De Sirroco deposed and fleeing the city. Three captains and a major attend Parliament, and even after a duel in the northern corridor leaves Major Liandro De Mirago dead, the party cannot decide upon a leader and do not attend Parliament. At risk of losing their bill to The Villa Estate, The Revolutionaries inflame political tensions in the city and blockade parliament for a fortnight with protestors, stopping any party from calling a session and passing legislation.

In return, The Villa Estate cuts off food to the city, hoping to turn The Revolutionaries’ street presence against itself with hunger. While the fishers and smugglers of The Docklands can supply some food, it will never be enough to feed the city of nearly a million souls. The price of food skyrockets in the space of days, becoming a valuable commodity in its own right. So valuable that it runs afoul of the region’s prosperity haunting, worsening the crisis as barrels of salted fish spoiled, smuggled fruits are replaced with stage props made of wood, and stolen grain is revealed to be corpse-ash.

It is on the 3rd of September that the bosuns from The People’s Gift force an opening, allowing parliamentarians who would attend (entirely from The Sigils and The Villa Estate) an emergency session. But a fortnight of hunger and anger at a feckless but ostensibly powerful Senate will not go quietly, particularly against the backdrop of months worth of public criticism and inaction. Hungry protestors flood into the Parliamentary building, heading for the central chamber, wrecking as they go. Is their goal to disrupt the emergency session or to beat the representatives to a bloody pulp? It is unclear.

Following the approval of the Land Dispersal Act (with less than half of Parliament in attendance) the representatives attempt to flee. Those members of The Villa Estate caught in the halls are beaten unconscious, as are some of The Sigils. Those with cunning or private mercenaries manage to flee, although rarely unbloodied. Across the building, sailors from The People’s Gift battle with protestors, the furor and the press of bodies necessitating combat, and the sailors' loyalty to their Free Captains above all holding the line.

Amidst the chaos, fires begin. Small flames become large and the furor of the riot robs any chance of extinguishing the growing blaze. Protestors, bloody-handed and panicked, flee into the Parliamentary Square. Some take the flames as deliberate and proof that the second revolution was upon them. Others watch in awe as the symbol of a democratic Lerona Mere sags under its own flaming weight. For a barest moment the square holds its breath, leaning this way and that. Panicked regret? Or righteous fervour?

But the cool heads of gradual government are long-gone, replaced by orators hired to criticise the government for months, and parliamentary parties driven to extreme lengths by a polarised populace. A cry goes up across the square as mercenary speakers, bloody protestors and ensorcelled moderates behold history once again,

‘Vive la Revolution!’

The Parliament fire continues to burn for four hours, the Parliament riot for twelve. While high-minded political rhetoric and ideology had begun the crisis, the food shortage sparked by The Villa Estates blockade and worsened by the city's prosperity haunting are what spurr the riot across the city. Storehouses, granaries and groceries are raided in the night and fires spark across the city

Outside the city, the realm is a different place. Those members of The Villa Estate who escaped the city have rallied with their supporters in Madre Campo. They held the city in their power, an intoxicating feeling but also a righteous one as the loss of their companions weighs heavy on their shoulders.

It has been nearly two days since the fire, and Lerona Mere remains on this razor's edge. No legitimate leadership, little food, struggling commerce and the looming spectre of Docklands War or the Illsevir remain. At night there are robberies, arson and quiet meetings with high minded ideals. The barest touch will swing the city one way or the other.

Will Lerona Mere pass through the crucible once again? Or will it attempt to balm its wounds and see through the dawn?

Game Information

Eighteen months of parliamentary failure has produced a parliamentary crisis, which produced a parliamentary collapse in more than one manner. While the causes are many, the results are the same; Lerona Mere finds itself once again on the brink of revolution. This time it is a revolution against a discordant government rather than against an opulent aristocracy. It is worth noting that things certainly could have been worse, had the Parliament not achieved some level of success.

Farms in Lerona Mere will produce slightly less this season due to restrictions on trade with the city, but will produce a random supply of herbs and wilderness resources as they trade internally.

The following characters investments have been damaged by the rioting and fires over the last fortnight:

• Felinado Calabey
• Gerado Van Bruno
• Francesca
• Delphine Delmare
• Jacques De Zisseau
• Anne-Marie Van Voyant

Every single Lerona Mere investment will receive a custom brief in their character bag relating to the looming revolution, what they know about its causes, what they stand to gain and what they stand to lose.

When they submit their downtime this coming season, every Lerona Mere character will have the choice between ‘Vive La Revolution’ and ‘Long Live the Parliament’. This choice, along with the actions of title holders and the actions of Lerona Mere on the Concordian stage will determine the future for the Realm.

There will be decisions related to this crisis for the Senator of Lerona Mere, the Champion of the Revolution, the Admiral of the People’s Gift, the Admiral of Liberty’s Fist and the Headmaster of The De Re School of Embers.

Rusted Coins of a Guilty Heart

Lerona Mere/ Panoply

It is a difficult time to be a merchant in Lerona Mere. The city stands on the edge of anarchy, blockades and smuggling are lousy throughout the city ,and atop all of this, any merchant successful in anything risks the prosperity curse that hangs low over the entire region. At least The Docklands has begun to calm.

Conjured into the world by the befouled Fools Gold Fortress wrought in the Summer of 222, the prosperity curse remains, but appears to spread wider, weaselling itself into all areas of Legend City and the surrounding countryside. Any product of any considerable worth has been beset by misfortune. Ships break their keels as they are launched, mergers descend into fistfights and attempts to purchase enough wine for a wedding reveal only spoiled vinegar.

Thankfully, a shifting change has been noticed in the winds and whims of this curse. Those who leave their industries, moving perhaps into mercenary work or priesthood find their maladies doubled, as if Panoply laments any who would give up on ambition. But those who persevere, struggling through misfortune find their boons greater than ever before. It appears that a challenge has been laid at the feet of Lerona Mere; this curse will not wither but must be broken and it must be broken through struggle. But whether this is the struggle of individuals or the struggle of the masses remains to be seen.

But it is not all woe and economic misadventure. The Docklands appears to be calming.

Contrary to the city around them, The Capos of The Docklands have remained calm over the Winter. As rain pelted down on city streets and Parliament burned, the gangs and their Capos glared at each other over careful treaty lines.

For two years it had been a bloody and profitable enterprise to find which among them had the strength to become the true Capo of Lerona Mere, the Emperor of Thieves and the master moonlighter. But time had won out in the end, like it does in all things. Blood had drenched the streets and all the money had begun to dry up. Parley had started as a hushed whisper among the gangs most sorely set by, then it became a reasonable request. Last Summit it became the order of the day and judging by the Winter of peace, it might just have the will to stick.

Game Information

The prosperity curse continues to hang over Lerona Mere affecting anyone with an amount of success. All businesses in Lerona Mere will find that they have produced slightly less this season. They will likely have stories of entirely unfortunate happenings that appear unlikely. Faulty goods, falling out with business partners or opportunities slipping through their fingers. In addition, any investment in Lerona Mere higher than tier 1 will also be affected by the curse, producing slightly less.

There will be decisions related to the prosperity curse for the Senator of Lerona Mere and the High Priest of Panoply.

The Docklands War has been peaceful this season and perhaps an end is in sight. All Naval Investments that are docked in Lerona Mere that performed the ‘Trade with Foreign Ports’ or ‘Independant Action’ downtimes will find they have produced as if they were a tier higher, bringing much needed goods into the beleaguered city.

There will be a parley this coming Summit.

What Lies Beneath

The Greenweald Baronies

Amidst the looming pines and ancient oaks North-West of Eisen, dozens of heroes, village folk, priests and wanderers gather over the Winter. As the pitter patter of raindrops and the ceaseless fog rise up from the river, they walk among the graves of those that came before them, hoping to find answers for the present in the suffering of the past. The stones there are old, but not ancient, calling back to the first expeditions into The Weald by faithful Spheric folk.

What they find there is not for all to know. For many it is a quiet gift of knowledge that they will take with them silently to the grave. Greenwealders are rarely talkative people - secrets are better left in the shadows rather than shattering them open in the light. But over a few imported Weiland Ales, glasses of Madre Campo reds, or Resinderholz Hooch, tongues gain a life of their own.

The Graven Glade, as it is called, is found to be two large fields deep in the woods, far off any hunter’s trail. Split down the middle by a thorn-infested stretch of looming willows and gnarled oaks, each field holds hundreds of gravestones bearing the name, nature, cause of death and kin of each interred. All told there are nearly a thousand buried across the two glades, with Drummondite, Artebazzani and even Esterran names among them. A dour place, but nothing too uncommon in the world of The Weald.

But those who get too far into their cups, or perhaps laid their own eyes upon it, speak of something worse within the overgrown stretch of thicket. Hidden from the world by heavy boughs and secret things is a great statue carved of black granite. An immense crouching being, with eyes as dark of coldest betrayal and a visage of the tortured soul of a dead bat-god. Its text reads simply

Vanguul the Feaster, Our woe, our Winter, our master.

Those that speak these words find that their blood cools to ice-water in their veins and the hairs on their necks curl in fear. They are quickly ushered home to rest and put these things from their mind. It is better to leave secrets in the shadows rather than shatter them open in the light.

But if this is what those who went are willing to say, what secrets are they still hiding? What else did the heroes of The Concord see in those Graven Glades? What does it mean to be both woe, Winter and master?

Perhaps some stones would be better left undisturbed. Or perhaps to be armed against the dark requires harsh truths.

Game Information

All characters who took the ‘Wander the Graven Glade’ downtime will receive information related to their own experiences in that sepulchral silence in their character bags.

The Graven Glade remains accessible to the people of The Concord, such is the extent of the pilgrimage that it has not been consumed again by the twisting paths of The Weald. However there is not much more to be gained simply by wandering among its stones. With this in mind the ‘Wander the Graven Glade’ downtime will no longer be available.

There will be decisions to be made in regards to The Graven Glade - its lies and its truths - by the Baron of Resinderholz and the High Historian

Be it on Your Head

The Greenweald Baronies

In years passed, the most powerful organisations within The Weald outside of the Baronial Houses were the guilds that bound The Weald's most notable professions together. These organisations existed for trades, for artisans, and more, but the most influential were the Houndspriests Chapters, Crow Universities, Huntsmarshall Bureaus and Ritter Colleges.

At the the height of The Baronies, these groups even elected Guildmasters for the entire Weald; often great heroes such as Ritter-Marshal Gretel Vanse and Master of Crows Vladimir Grau.

But in the decaying of The Baronies through blood and bile, these guilds have decayed themselves. Broken apart by sudden defeats and even blamed by Wealders for some of The Baronies many maladies. All are a shadow of their former selves but there are signs of return to form.

In Eisen, Ritters once again train; these warrior-scholars have been seen in the ranks of The Legion as well as taking on apprentices in the the streets. The first graduates of this gruelling mental and physical trial are beginning to be seen out in the world for the first time in decades, the mercy blade of a Ritter stamped with the sigil of The Eisen College of War worn proudly on their armour.

In Krezenberg, the old abbey has had its vines carved away and its halls hallowed. The dormitories that once held priests now hold Houndspriest hopefuls. The graveyards have become open air lecture halls for the biology of Feasters and Shakham’s Beasts. The halls ring out with steel on silver. While much of the Kristov Chapter has yet to be unpacked, perhaps this is a new dawn for the monster-slayers of The Baronies.

Even those professions that have not yet found a home have found a home have found accolades. Crow Doktors are well regarded across The Concord, and a Huntsmarshall wears the title of Captain of the Watch in the capital.

The only foul sky hangs over the Wealdsages. Firesides on a dark night still tell the tale of ‘The Night of Silver Blood’ in 183 AE when the Houndspriests of Chapter Anselma and Benedikt slew the Witchmaster Klaus Kreiger, and declared that the Wealdsage Coven was forbidden. Even now, Wealdsages gather a reputation in The Concord for meddling in affairs better left unbidden.

But in this time it appears the Guilds of the Weald are on the rise. Will we see a future where the guilds are once again ascendant? Only time will tell.

Game Information

As the archetypes of The Weald grow in popularity, they are once again taking their role in Wealder society. Eventually they will become powerful enough to affect the nation beyond just their Heroes.

When a Barony contains 10 members of a single Archetype at a Summit and that archetype also has a headquarters (known as a Sanctum), a realmic title will be created to act as the leader of that guild within the Barony. Once three Baronies obtain archetype leaders, a title will also be created for an overall leader.

These titles will have limited powers, but will direct guild focus and obtain additional information and quandaries as befitting their role.

Sanctums can be investigated for construction using the Senate's Appraisal Power, however opportunities for their construction may also appear as the story of the Barony progresses.

Currently the following Archetypes have a Sanctum in Resinderholz:

• Eisen College of War (Ritters)
• Kristov Chapterhouse in Krezenberg (Houndspriests)

There will be decisions for the Baron of Resinderholz and the Champion of The Baronies in regards to the legality of Wealdsage Covens.

The View Between Villages

Resinderholz, Greenweald Baronies

To the north west of Wolstad, along roads both hidden and known, you may find the township of Krezenberg. In seasons past, the settlement was little more than a collection of houses, a tavern or two, an old abandoned abbey and a guardhouse that acted as a temporary dormitory for travelling Huntsmarshalls or Houndspriests. The village was notable for the places it was near, rather than what it was. Orchards, farmsteads and distant hamlets needed a home at the heart of their web, a home that was Krezenberg.

But last Summer the forces of Brother Ash swept into the Ravensreach Wilds that hold Krezenberg deep within. General Fischer made her home in Krezenberg, the townships natural defensive position with a rocky dell was a fortress once reinforced with palisades and sentries. People flooded into the township avoiding the predators of the Zekartaal and the monsters they swept up in their wake.

In short order, the town was overflowing. In the following months of shelter and warfare some of those visitors put down roots. The town's smithy was relit, an old barn became ‘The Ardent Heart’; an Arcadian church looked over by a young Priest, and many more small clovers of life. Even as Brother Ash was repulsed, not everyone returned to the outer Ravensreaches. Krezenberg had grown.

It was not just the people of the Wilds that saw this growth. As the Winter Summit turns to memory, the gears of power groan into life.

First is the Houndspriests. The Hall of Lessons in Wolstad is emptied, the meagre barracks sold and the few aged monster-slayers of faith loaded onto a wagon and make for Krezenberg. The overgrown abbey at the centre of town is cleaned of burned and shattered pews, freed from parasitic vines and overgrowth, and sanctified, in both the light of Lumos and Anarch. Soon enough, the eyes of Old Vina Frederov watch young people run laps of the Abbey’s old graveyard while shouting cadence. The Kristov Chapter has a new home, and perhaps a new chance to be reborn.

With far less fanfare is the simple black wagon that followed after. Stopping outside the old Hartswood Merchant’s house, the staff of the Baron unload personal effects, tomes, papers and other stationery. The seat of the Baron moves from the old Arnmeyer Manor in Wolstad to this humble two story abode in Krezenberg. And in these ways Krezenberg grows, from a township between places, to a place in its own right. Some folk have taken to calling it ‘The third of two towns’.

But not all view these changes with joy.

Hans Rakkenbach, a Houndspriest who rose to prominence recently after he slew the Thunderheart that threatened the Eisen Orchard a year past, has been standing in opposition to the movement of Chapter Kristov, and the Houndspriests actions in recent years. What was at first private conversations in the Kristov Chapterhouse has become vocal speeches in the streets of Wolstad.

“In times past Houndspriests were the greatest blades that rid The Weald of Monsters, they held The Baronies together with silver and faith. But what are we now? Second-rate fighters who cower behind Ritters? Priests who lack enough religious fervour to stave off the darkness inside their own hearts? Let alone in the hearts of others! They have been trained to worship the Night of Silver Blood, so much that they miss the monster at their door because they’re watching the Sage at their hearth!”

“Baron Schwartz would rather use the Houndspriests to fight the Zekartaal, than protect from The Weald. It's why he throws Chapter Kristov to the north and war. He will be sorely mistaken. Chapter Kristov is a broken old man. Caught in the past and raising preachers to jump at shadows rather than stride into them.”

“It is why on this day I raise Chapter Rakkenbach, here in Wolstad! Blessed in Anarch, we will raise new Houndspriests who seek to slay the beasts of The Weald, to burn away mystery with righteous flame and turn aside the warmonger!”

Some Houndspriests have begun to flock to Chapter Rakkenbach, based on a farmstead outside Wolstad, aided by Hans’ relative celebrity. But there has been no returning statement from Chapter Kristov. As the days draw long and the heat returns it is unclear which Chapter will survive the fire.

Game Information

Krezenberg has been firmly established as a settlement in north-western Resinderholz. Maps have been updated appropriately. The focus on growing urbanism and settlement rewards merchants playing the long game, but farms going to fallow damages the whole agricultural web of The Weald.

All Businesses in Resinderholz will find that they have produced slightly more this past season, while Farms in Resinderholz will have produced slightly less.

The arrival of Chapter Kristov in Krezenberg has fulfilled the Sanctum requirement for Houndspriests in Resinderholz. Once ten Houndspriests attend a Summit, the title of Chapter-Kaptain will become available.

Hans Rakkenbach and his rival Chapter have raised questions about the traditions of the Houndspriest, their role in warfare and the future of their profession. Houndspriest characters will receive additional information in their character bags in regards to this internal schism.

You’re Gonna Go Far

Bordevar/ The Foreign Service/ Lerona Mere

As much as vision shrinks to a pin when fate threatens you, the rest of the world does continue to move without you. Such is the nature of life in The Concord, visitors from within and afar journey to the Summit alongside Concordian heroes to make their voices heard, or perhaps to simply scream into bored eyes and empty coin purses.

One of the most discussed attendees is an envoy from Aprivano. Bearing the seal of The Trade Prince Majiid and crossing the coastal desert into Mukarrem, this envoy and their guards were collected by scouts of The Desert Whisperers stationed along the border before being sent on their way towards the Summit.

The envoy is reportedly carrying a message penned by The Trade Prince himself and demands a meeting with the Concordian Ambassador to The Trade Principality, Ash Al’Andash El’Jadis. The envoy and their guards will likely arrive on the second night of the Summit. More concerning is the name of the envoy; Carine El’Majiid Al’Pataviam, Blood of the Trade Prince.

An obvious pair of travellers from the east are a Bordevarian lord in yellow and black with a prisoner latched to his person. Lord Arthur of House Rallick appears intent on bringing the captive Boar’s Head Clan warleader ‘Grin’ to Summit.

Lord Arthur speaks to any who will listen about the growing conflict with the Boar’s Head Clans of The Steinvaults and his intent to lead the defence and eventually charge against them. Lord Arthur will be seeking out the Champion of the King and other Bordevarian titles for a council of war on the first night of the Summit.

Finally, some distance from the Summit proper is a military camp of considerable size. Flying the green banner of a flower over crossed sheaves of grain. It is the camp of five hundred militia, raised by The Villa Estate out of concern that they will be forced to return to the city and put matters to rest. Their leader, Madre Andre De Tippi, is the mother of the previous party secretary, now dead in the Capital. But ‘The Madre De Campo’ has been anything but still. She journeys to the Summit to speak with the Senator of Lerona Mere about the future of their realm. They will likely arrive on the second day of the Summit.

Wavebreaker Wisdom

Lerona Mere/ Andash / Iron Valley

For another season, The Bay of Promised Gold and The Icereach Sea remain busy. Ships of all banners and sizes traverse the waves, braving gale and greed in search of wealth and wonder. Concordian ships fan out far and wide on their own private sojourn, but those who reside in waterside towns like Lerona Mere, Nazafeza or Jarlstead, or those who captain these vessels, have learned to read the ebb and flow of maritime travel, learning what they can from its shifting visage.

A strange peace has descended over the Bay this past Winter, but not without armed forces at hand. Both the Illsevir and The Golden Fleet move vast quantities of cargo, both mortal and industrial across The Bay. For their part, two fleets of Ophelia Diablos’ travel from west to east, once again docking at Baile Lochra. Private ships report seeing a massive deluge of human and animal cargo as the army of Alabaster Morgan and the last of his people arrive in their ancestral home. They report that the coast of Baile Lochra is overflowing with people as the Bailites spread out to see what has been left behind. But The Golden Fleets do not travel westward once again, instead continuing onto the east into The Explorers Sea.

Like literal ships in the night, the Illsevir pass by The Golden Fleet across The Bay. Neither force wishes to engage in battle, both focused on the transport of their cargo, leading to the strange circumstance where Corsairs pass silently between Illsevir war-barges and hardened destroyers. The Illsevir are bound for the west, passing by the Cape of Urso. Those few captains travelling in the west say that the Illsevir do not continue out into The Great Trade Sea or even south back into The Icereach, but North, towards Calandri and The Guardian.

Game Information

The above information would be valid for any character with a naval investment or someone based in any of the coastal towns of The Concord. More information relevant to the movement of The Concord’s maritime neighbours can be found in The War Chamber or by taking the ‘Trade with Foreign Ports’ action.

Boots on the Ground

As best as is understood, the result of the Winter Summit of 223’s Confluxes are laid out below

Location	Oppourtunity	Day	Outcome
The Stand, Weiland	Slay Death Knights of the Onyx Aristocracy and disrupt an Arcane Cabal	First Day	Failure. Onyx Aristocracy forces suffer no additional casualties
Near The Woodswater River, Bolsterlee	Investigate Illsevir Mines.	Second Day	Partial Success. If attacking this Summit, ‘The Marlin’ will take a Cautious Attack.
Tanebar Sea, Mukarrem	Hold the line against the Trade Principality Vanguard	First Day	Not taken. Luis El’Corvarrias acts with full intelligence of Concordian forces in the west over Winter.
Fiorenza River, Lerona Mere	Defend against Illsevir attempts to destroy defences on the river.	Second day	Not taken. Bravos defending the Fiorenza began to go abroad seeking other employment.
Near Nazafeza	Disrupt ritual attempts by the Artebezzani Ritualists	First Day	Success. New Heroes of the Concord dispersed the attempted ritual of Artebezzani ritualists. The Magistrate observed.
School of Gifts Vault	Disperse the unruly spirits left by Zekartaal rites	First Day	Partial victory. Mages of The Concord dispersed most but not all of the lingering magics agitated by the Zekartaal.
Border of Mancante Terra	Rescue members of the Troop of Word and Wit and Just Cause	First Day	Failure. Captured members of The Troupe of Word, Wit and Just Cause were unable to be rescued. Likely now dead or enthralled.
Beneath The Tanebar Sea	Gain the final treasure of Sand and Gold	Second day	Success. The final treasures were recovered, at great cost.
Weiland	Disperse the new undead forces.	Second day	Success. A bunch of hardy folk roused by the Sheriff got rid of the Rotmongers heading into Weiland, damaging the strength of The Onyx Aristocracy.
Vassertal Border	Hunt the ‘monsters’ in the woods.	Second day	Success. Monster hunters of the Greenweald swept the woods clear of Onyx Aristocracy ghouls and their nests, damaging the strength of The Onyx Aristocracy.
Edge of Royal Bordevar	Disrupt Rituals of the Wraith of Port Gargant’s Forces	Second day	Weather Cancellation. Due to actions beyond The Concord’s control, the portal refused to open. The same interference will likely hinder The Onyx Aristocracy’s rituals in the area.
Outside the Cathedral of the Iron Star	Gain access to the Cathedral	Second day	Weather cancellation. Thanks to the heroism and sacrifice of Pathfinder Hiram, the battle was avoided entirely. May they be remembered.
Below the Cathedral of the Iron Star	Recover the Pulpit	Second day	Success. The Pulpit was recovered at great cost.
Windholme	Strike down the Ilsevir’s new sea beast	Third day	Success. The sunken monstrosity of the Ilsevit was laid low, limiting its prescence in future battles

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